Confectioners produce around 9 billion pieces of candy corn every year, according to the US National Confectioners Association, with a significant chunk of this consumed by trick-or-treaters. In the latest edition of Periodic Graphics in C&EN, we look at what candy corn is made of and the chemistry behind its vibrant colours. View the full graphic on the C&EN site.
It’s currently National Chemistry Week in the US (apparently, we only get National Chemistry Week once every two years here in the UK), and the theme for this year is ‘The Sweet Side of Chemistry’. This seemed like as good an opportunity as any to look at some confectionary chemistry! In this graphic, we look at the amazing versatility of sucrose, and how (combined with other ingredients) it can make candies as hard as lollipops, or as soft as fudge.
