Candy Cane Testing

This month, our team got into the holiday spirit by doing what you might expect us to do: we purchased six different brands of candy canes and compared their different textural properties using the TA.XTPlus Texture AnalyzerAn except from the new application study: “The candy cane is a seasonal holiday candy that typically appears in North American stores from November to December. Folklore claims that the original candy cane was created at the request of a church choirmaster to keep children quiet during holiday church services. The unique hook of the cane was added, as the story goes, to resemble the canes of the shepherds present during the Nativity story. Today, candy canes are popular holiday decorations adorning trees, wreaths, and gift packages. They are still loved by children (and adults) who often despair at a common dilemma: the broken candy cane.

Manufacturers are tasked with the challenge of making a candy cane that is hard enough to survive manufacturing, packaging, shipping, and transportation home, and use as a popular holiday decoration for hanging on wreaths, trees, and more. However, an ideal candy cane should also had to be brittle enough to break into small pieces for seasonal treats such as peppermint bark and holiday cakes all the while staying stiff enough as a candy sucker. We compared six types of candy canes to measure their stiffness, hardness, and brittleness. Three of the candy cane brands were “traditional” peppermint: Spangler’s, Bob’s, and TruJoy Organic. The remaining three were brand extensions of existing candy brands: Hersey’s mint chocolate, Spangler’s DumDums, and Wonka’s SweeTarts.”

To obtain a full copy of this application study, email us or contact your regional manager.

You can also read more about candy cane testing and the TA.XTPlus Texture Analyzer on Confectionery News.

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