Cotton Candy

A typical cotton candy cone contains about one hundred calories.

Cotton candy is a light and fluffy sugar candy, which resembles cotton wool. It is made by heating sugar to a very high temperature and then spinning the melted sugar to produce fine sugar threads. Cotton candy has a fibrous texture that makes it unique from other sugar candies. The fibrous threads have many of the same characteristics as cotton fibers, which is how cotton candy got its name.

Cotton candy is a popular food at amusement parks and carnivals and is typically sold individually as a large mass wrapped around a cardboard cone. When the threads are collected on a cone, they are packed loosely so that a certain amount of air gets trapped between the fibers. This increases the volume of the candy, giving it a light and fluffy texture. Cotton candy remains a favorite among people of all ages. Today, it is also sold in malls, video shops, movie theaters, toy stores, grocery stores, and sports arenas.

Sweet history

Sugar, the main ingredient in cotton candy, was not known during ancient times. Many early cultures made candies using honey mixed with such ingredients as fruit, nuts, and spices. Other sweeteners used included date syrup, fig syrup, and sugar cane juice. The ancient Hindus and Chinese grew sugar cane and extracted the juice for sweetening. There is evidence that when Persia (now called Iran) invaded India during the early 500s B.C.E., the conquerors found what they described as plants that produced honey without bees. In later years, Persia cultivated sugar cane and refined it to produce cane sugar, some of which was used to make candy.

The Arabic people who invaded Persia during the seventh century discovered sugar cane, which subsequently was introduced to Spain, North Africa, and Sicily in Italy. Sugar cane did not reach England until the eleventh century, and even then, it was scarce. Some of it was made into candy, which for many years was a luxury item available only to the wealthy.

In 1747, German scientist Andreas Marggraf (1707–1782) discovered sugar in beet juice. Fifty years later, in 1798, his student Franz Achard (1753–1821) produced the first beet sugar. These accomplishments and the invention of candy-making machinery contributed to the growth of the candy industry in Europe during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Fairy floss

In the United States, the invention of candy-making machines also contributed to the growth of the candy industry. These machines were semiautomatic and allowed production on a large scale. In 1897, William J. Morrison (1860–1926) and John C. Wharton, candymakers from Nashville, Tennessee, invented the first electric machine for making cotton candy. The machine consisted of a spinning bowl with tiny holes. Sugar that was heated in the bowl melted and was forced through the tiny holes, forming fine strands of sugar. They called the feathery candy "Fairy Floss" and first introduced it to the world at the St. Louis World's Fair (Missouri) in 1904.

The portable machine soon became very popular. Operators could transport the machine to circuses, carnivals, and ball parks and sell individual servings of the candy. At some point, the name became cotton candy. Mass production of cotton candy occurred after 1972 when an automatic manufacturing machine was invented.

Raw Materials

Sugar is the main ingredient used in the manufacture of cotton candy. Its chemical name is sucrose, and it is obtained primarily from sugar cane and sugar beet. Sucrose is commonly called cane sugar. In cotton candy, sugar is responsible for the candy's physical structure, as well as its taste and mouthfeel (physical sensation of food in the mouth).

Other ingredients are needed to produce the popular characteristics of cotton candy. Color additives, or dyes, are added to white sugar to produce the different colors that make cotton candy appealing to the eye. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the use of color additives in food. Cotton candy can be made to be almost any color by combining FDA-approved color additives, including Red Dye #40 (commonly called allura Red AC), Yellow Dye #5 (tartrazine), Yellow Dye #6 (sunset yellow), and Blue Dye #1 (brilliant blue FCF). In addition to the standard pink and blue colors, cotton candy can be found in other colors, such as purple, red, yellow, and brown.

Along with color, natural and artificial flavors are added to give the sugary treat extra appeal. Cotton candy is available in a variety of flavors, including bubble gum, chocolate, banana, raspberry, watermelon, cherry, mint, vanilla, grape, cherry, and piña colada (pineapple and coconut).

Different packaging materials are used in cotton candy manufacture. Clear, cellophane bags are typically used because they are moisture-proof. Moisture can make cotton candy rubbery and sticky.

The Manufacturing Process

Two types of machines are used to produce cotton candy. One machine is semiautomatic and is used to make single servings that are sold at carnivals and amusement parks. The other is a fully automated machine that produces large volumes of cotton candy for widespread distribution. Both machines are similar and are discussed below.

Sugar processing

1 Powdered sugar is put into a large, circular, stainless steel hopper (a bin). Color additives and flavors are then added to the sugar, and the three ingredients are mixed. The hopper is fitted with a tapered bottom that feeds the sugar mixture into an extruder. The extruder is a spinning metal cylinder with a heating element and holes along its sides. Manufacturers may also use a ready-mixed sugar mixture called floss sugar, which comes in a variety of colors and flavors.

2 Inside the extruder, the sugar is heated, melting into a very hot liquid. The extruder spins, forcing the liquid sugar through the holes in its side. As the sugar leaves the extruder, it encounters air and cools, forming a delicate web of very fine threads. The threads are collected in a large circular pan surrounding the extruder. To prevent the threads from thickening into a semisolid mass, the workers make sure little, or no, moisture is present.

Candy collection

3 If the machine produces a small amount of cotton candy, such as machines found at fairs or malls, the machine operator collects the threads of cotton candy. The operator takes a cardboard cone and passes it around the sides of the circular pan. As the cardboard cone is passed around, the sugar fibers stick to it, forming a fluffy mass. It is immediately sold to the consumer.

Cotton candy produced in large quantities undergoes a different collection process. After exiting the automated machine, the cotton candy threads are pulled onto a conveyor belt and transferred into a sizing container. Here, the cotton candy threads are combined into a continuous bundle.

4 In the sizing container, the bundle of cotton candy is formed into a consistent shape. Devices called rollers are positioned on the top and sides of the conveyor belt to perform the shaping with a minimum of force so as not to change the texture or characteristics of the cotton candy. The rollers are typically coated with a nonstick substance, such as Teflon®. As the candy leaves the sizing container, it has the shape of a continuous block with a fixed height and width.

Cutting

5 After the shaping process, the cotton candy is transported by conveyor belt to a knife blade. The knife is mounted above the conveyor belt and slides down to cut the cotton candy into segments of a specific length. The knife is drawn back, and the cotton candy moves to another area where another roller maintains its shape.

Packaging

6 The completed cotton candy is transferred to a packaging machine. It is automatically put into a cellophane bag or other type of packaging and sealed. Moisture-proof packaging is used to prevent spoilage, as well as changes that moisture may bring on, such as causing the candy to get sticky. The sealed bags are passed under a coding device where they are marked with information, such as batch number and date of production. The bags are carefully put into boxes. The boxes are stacked on wooden pallets, transferred to trucks, and shipped to the local supermarkets. The entire process from loading the sugar into the cotton candy machine to putting the finished candy into boxes takes only a few minutes.

Quality Control

Quality control begins with checking the incoming ingredients. The ingredients are tested in a laboratory to make sure they meet specifications. Tests include analyzing an ingredient's physical properties, such as particle size, appearance, color, and flavor. Certain chemical properties of the ingredients may also be evaluated. Manufacturers generally have their own tests to ensure that the ingredients will produce a consistent, quality batch of cotton candy.

The packaging is also inspected. The odor check is an important quality control, because bags that have acquired off-odors during processing may pass on these undesirable odors to the cotton candy. The packaging is also checked for its moisture-vapor transmission rate. Other properties checked are the grease resistance and physical appearance of the packaging. Cotton candy that is manufactured properly, using quality ingredients and packaging, will remain fresh for about six months.

Manufacturers also monitor the characteristics of the finished products. As with the raw ingredients, the finished cotton candies are tested for their appearance, texture, color, and flavor. A newly prepared batch may be monitored by comparing its characteristics against established standards. A panel of specially trained personnel also performs sensory tests of taste, texture, and odor. Finally, standard industry instrument tests that measure certain product properties may also be done.

The Future

The basic cotton candy has not changed much since it was first introduced. However, as the popularity of cotton candy continues, manufacturers experiment with new flavors and colors.

Most of the improvements in the manufacture of cotton candy have to do with improving the design of machines in order to make more candies. For example, some machines have bigger hoppers for holding more powdered sugar. It is expected that future improvements will involve computer-controlled machines that will produce cotton candy more efficiently, economically, and safely.

automated machine:

A machine that operates and regulates itself without human intervention.

cellophane:

A thin, transparent material made from wood pulp used as a moisture-proof wrapper.

color additive:

Any dye or substance that gives color when added to a food.

mouthfeel:

Physical sensation of food in the mouth.

semiautomatic machine:

A machine that partly operates itself and partly needs a person to run it.

For More Information

Books

Alikonis, Justin J. Candy Technology. Westport, CT: AVI Publishing Company, Inc., 1979.

Web Sites

"Food Color Facts." U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.cfsan.fda.gov./~lrd/colorfac.html (accessed on July 22, 2002).

"Sugar Facts: Growing and Processing Sugar." The Sugar Association. http://www.sugar.org/facts/grow.html (accessed on July 22, 2002).