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These confectionery additives like water, work well with others, make sugar stick and keep ingredients that don't mix well separate.
Sharing or swapping of ingredients has been going on since the first confection was made by the ancients combining fruits, nuts and honey. Acacia gum found its way into the world of candy just that way. Acacia gum is a confectionery ingredient handed down from the pharmacist who combined medicines with gum arabic (what is currently called acacia), sugar syrups and honey. Having gum in medicine ensured gradual dissolution, a feature especially handy for treating sore throats.
The range of gums utilized in the food industry can be overwhelming, but it narrows some in confections. Among these are guar and locust bean gums, which are retained from the seeds of the guar plant native to India and Pakistan and of the carob tree grown in Mediterranean countries, respectively. Guar and locust bean gums are mainly used as a thickening agent since they both create high viscosity in water systems.
Gums, such as carrageenan from red seaweed and alginate from brown seaweed, both work well with calcium-- based products. Low-sugar jams and jellies include carrageenan for gelling purposes, while alginates produce neutral jellies. Carrageenan appears in gummy candies, jelly beans, fruit wraps/roll ups, caramels, fruit-filled candies and heat stable chocolate as well.
"Carrageenan is getting used more in gelatin-free products," says Greg Bulgia, director of research and development of food technology for Philadelphia-based FMC BioPolymer. "Carrageenan is used to provide Kosher or Halal products, create innovative texture and improve flavor release."
In addition, carrageenan has a quick set up time and FMC BioPolymer internal studies have shown an improved shelf life stability, Bulgia adds.
Another gum used in squeezable bubble gum, gummy fruits, taffy and enrobed chocolate candies is xanthan, which can be used at very low levels in most food products. This gum is created by...