Hey, There's Corn in My Candy! *
| Areas of Science |
Cooking & Food Science |
| Difficulty | |
| Time Required | Short (2-5 days) |
| Prerequisites | None |
| Material Availability | Readily available |
| Cost | Very Low (under $20) |
| Safety | This science fair project requires adult help. The boiling sugar solution is extremely hot. |
*Note: This is an abbreviated Project Idea, without notes to start your background research, a specific list of materials, or a procedure for how to do the experiment. You can identify abbreviated Project Ideas by the asterisk at the end of the title. If you want a Project Idea with full instructions, please pick one without an asterisk.
Abstract
If you browse through a candy cookbook, you might notice that many of the recipes call for corn syrup in addition to sugar. Both sugar and corn syrup are sweet, so why do you need corn syrup if you already have sugar? In candy making, corn syrup is known as an interfering agent. But what does this mean and how does it work? You can find out for yourself by making two batches of rock candy, one with corn syrup and one without. For example, you could alter the science project When Science is Sweet: Growing Rock Candy Crystals by replacing 1 tablespoon (tbsp) of water (in the sugar-water solution) with 1 tbsp of corn syrup in one of the batches of rock candy. (Make sure the batches are prepared the same in every other way.) Are there any differences between the two rock candy batches? Once you understand what an interfering agent is, you could try experimenting with other ingredients to see if they can act as interfering agents, too.Share your story with Science Buddies!
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Cite This Page
General citation information is provided here. Be sure to check the formatting, including capitalization, for the method you are using and update your citation, as needed.MLA Style
Science Buddies Staff.
"Hey, There's Corn in My Candy!" Science Buddies,
28 July 2017,
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/FoodSci_p017/cooking-food-science/corn-syrup-candy.
Accessed 20 Oct. 2019.
APA Style
Science Buddies Staff.
(2017, July 28).
Hey, There's Corn in My Candy!
Retrieved from
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/FoodSci_p017/cooking-food-science/corn-syrup-candy
Last edit date: 2017-07-28
Bibliography
- Science Buddies. (2013, January 10). When Science is Sweet: Growing Rock Candy Crystals. Retrieved March 21, 2014, from http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/FoodSci_p005.shtml
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Note: A computerized matching algorithm suggests the above articles. It's not as smart as you are, and it may occasionally give humorous, ridiculous, or even annoying results! Learn more about the News Feed
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