reactions generate acids, candies that include
milk solids are sometimes neutralized with
baking soda. The reaction between acids and
baking soda generates bubbles of carbon
dioxide, so such candies may be filled with
small bubbles that give them a more fragile
texture, less chewy or hard or clinging.
Gelling Agents Confectioners also give a
firmer body to certain candies with a number
of ingredients that bond to each other and to
water to form solid but moist gels. These
ingredients include gelatin, egg white, grain
starches and flours, pectin, and plant gums.
Gelatin and pectin in particular are used to
make gummy and jelly candies, often in
combination. Gelatin provides a tough
chewiness, while pectin makes a more tender
gel. Gum tragacanth, a carbohydrate from a
West Asian shrub in the bean family
(Astragalus), has been used for centuries to
make the sugar dough from which lozenges