The Chemistry Behind the Chew: teacher key

How Candy Is Made, grade 8 edition, written for 8th grade. Flavor, smoothness and chew in candy all come from chemistry that makers learned to steer. It follows cocoa beans, gelatin and sugar crystals, and the history of sweets.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. What happens to proteins in a bean during fermentation?
   • Enzymes break them into peptides and amino acids (answer)
   • They turn into sugar
   • They are washed away
2. Why are the beans turned during fermentation?
   • To dry them
   • To let in air and make the fermentation more even (answer)
   • To remove the shells
3. What does conching do to chocolate?
   • It makes it smooth and creamy (answer)
   • It makes it crunchy
   • It adds more cocoa butter
4. Why would a maker who wants a chewier gummy change the gelatin?
   • The amount of gelatin sets how chewy it is (answer)
   • Gelatin makes candy sour
   • Gelatin prevents starch from sticking
5. In this passage, what does tune mean?
   • To adjust until it is right (answer)
   • To play a song
   • To clean

Words

• enzymes: helper proteins
• conching: long stirring
• gelatin: gel protein
• crystals: ordered sugar bits
• fermentation: change by microbes