Chewing marmalade appeared relatively recently on our market and won the love of consumers, especially children. Bears, fish, worms, red, yellow, green and other bright colors certainly attract attention. What is such marmalade made of, what is more benefit and harm in it? Many people are concerned about the answers to these questions.
What is chewing gum made of
Chewing marmalade is a gelatin-based marmalade. It is the use of gelatin that gives such a consistency to your favorite sweets. Ordinary marmalade is made on the basis of agar agar or pectin.
Gelatin is a gel-forming substance derived from the bones, skin, and tendons of animals. This is a natural ingredient.
Potato starch may be an additional gelling agent from some manufacturers.
Any marmalade is made on the basis of juice or fruit puree. In gummies, juice is the main ingredient.
Dyes are used for color. Which dye, artificial or natural, depends on the manufacturer.
Used to add flavor citric acid or its salt - sodium citrate, malic acid.
Since it sweet products, then it contains sugar (some manufacturers of molasses), dextrose, glucose syrup. For people who are unhealthy with sugar, such as those with diabetes, marmalade is made with stevia or other sugar substitutes.
Ordinary marmalade, so that it does not stick together, is sprinkled with sugar or powdered sugar. In the case of jelly marmalade, glazing agents are used for this purpose. In this capacity, bees or carnauba wax, shellac can be used.
What is beeswax, is known to almost everyone. It is from it that the bees build their honeycombs, in which they lay nectar.
Carnauba wax is also a natural substance obtained from the leaves of the Brazilian palm tree.
Most questions are caused by shellac or maybe called gummilac. It is obtained from small insects that live mainly in India. These insects are called - lacquer worm. So shellac in marmalade has nothing to do with shellac in a pedicure.
Of course, the composition of chewing marmalade from different manufacturers may vary. Therefore, you need to look at it on the package with sweets and, if in doubt, choose another brand.
The calorie content of such marmalade is about the same as the usual one. On average, 100 grams contains approximately 320-330 kilocalories.
Chewing gummies
Marmalade, although it belongs to sweet foods, but due to the presence of gelling substances in it, it is considered more healthy treat compared to other candies.
Based on such marmalade, the pharmaceutical industry produces vitamin supplements for children, which they chew more readily instead of tablets or capsules. Funny little animals so remind them favorite treat.
Many people chew this marmalade during periods of great excitement or stress and claim that it helps them calm down.
Marmalade, made on the basis of natural ingredients, brings its benefits, replenishing the body with some useful substances.
If we talk about the benefits of this type of marmalade, then it helps:
Relieve stress;
Calm the nervous system;
Due to the presence of gelatin, it has a positive effect on the state of the skeletal system;
Contribute to the increase of protective forces;
The presence of glucose stimulates mental activity.
Many packs of brightly colored gummies are taken as a snack to work or given to children at school.
The advantages of this product include the fact that it does not melt, which means that you can eliminate troubles with sticky spots and not be afraid to stain your purse or school bag.
Chewing marmalade harm
However, it contains quite a lot of sugar, which can cause some harm to the teeth. Sugar comes first.
Various artificial additives can bring harm: dyes, flavors, acidity regulators. It is they who, hiding behind the designation "E", can become the culprit of various allergic reactions, rashes, irritations.
For people who are overweight, you need to limit its consumption. Yet it is a high-calorie product.
How to choose gummies
This type of marmalade can be bought in a package or by weight. When buying a packaged product, the consumer has the opportunity to study the composition, its nutritional value. If you are not satisfied with the quality of the original ingredients, then you can refuse to buy and choose marmalade from another manufacturer.
More questions are marmalade by weight. Sometimes from the same manufacturer different batches may differ in taste. 
When choosing, first of all, you need to pay attention to appearance marmalade. It shouldn't look too shiny. The fact is that in addition to glazing with wax and shellac, some manufacturers use oil. It must be olive. But, there are those who are not averse to saving.
If possible, smell the sweets: they should not have pungent odor, which will talk about the high content of flavors.
Choose more natural colors. Dark colors, such as blue or black, are often produced by artificial dyes.
Chewing marmalade history
Such marmalade appeared on our shelves at the end of the last century. In Europe and America, it has been made since the early twenties of the last century.
The first candy in the form of a chewing bear was released in Germany back in 1922 by the Haribo company, which is headquartered in Beaune. Today, this company produces more than 100 million of these gummies a day.
For a long time, chewing marmalade was produced in the form of a bear figurine. Then they came up with other different types. They began to make it in the form of fish, worms, soldiers, frogs (now such marmalade is made in Australia and Spain), hamburgers, bottles, various fruits and quite unusual ones, for example, in the form of teeth or other parts of the human body.
In 1985, the Disney Corporation came up with a gummy bear character show called Disney's Gummi Bear Adventure. Gummi - this is how the word "chewing" sounds in English.
Such marmalade is produced not only in a reduced copy of various figures, but also in full-size form. For example, in Spain they make chewable bananas. In Australia, frogs are colored red or green.
Such marmalade today can be bought in a variety of colors and with a variety of tastes, ranging from the traditional apple to the aroma of Coca-Cola.
Did not escape the chewing marmalade litigation. It's hard to believe, but it's true. In 2005, in New Jersey, community members filed an animal cruelty complaint. Public opinion was against candies in the form of various animals, citing that they could give children the wrong idea about the treatment of animals.
Public activists also spoke out against marmalade in the form of teeth and parts of the human body. And they got their way.
In 2009, after a study by scientists, the sale of such marmalade was banned in schools, in vending machines due to the presence of xylitol, which is harmful to tooth enamel.
How to make gummies
Gummies are easy to make at home. All that is needed for this is fruit and berry juice or puree, gelatin, sugar or honey. No dyes, preservatives or other additives of dubious quality.
Chewing marmalade with honey
For cooking you need:
1 cup fresh or frozen fruits, berries
1 tablespoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
70 ml water (about 1/3 cup)
2 tablespoons natural honey
4 teaspoons gelatin
For candy sprinkles:
115-120 grams of sugar
1-3 teaspoons of citric acid (depending on the fruit chosen)
Defrost fruit or berries. Puree them until smooth.
Place all ingredients, except gelatin, in a saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring constantly.
When the mass begins to boil, gradually pour in the gelatin, while constantly whisking. It is impossible to pour out all the gelatin at once, otherwise a piece that is difficult to break will form and its remnants will be felt in the finished marmalade.
Bring gradually to a boil until the gelatin is completely dissolved.
Remove the pan from the heat and strain through a sieve to avoid undissolved gelatin. If there are bubbles on top, remove them with a spoon.
Take small molds (for example, for sweets) and pour the mass.
Place in refrigerator for at least 6 hours. Poke any air bubbles (if any) with a toothpick.
Place the finished marmalade in a container with a lid.
Grind sugar and citric acid into powder and sprinkle the finished candy.
Homemade marmalade can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week.
Juice can be replaced with milk. Can do homemade marmalade on nut milk: almond, coconut, rice and others. Vegetable milk will give the marmalade an extra creamy taste.
Vanillin or vanilla sugar can be added for flavoring. Want to spicy taste- Add ginger or chili pepper. You can color it yellow with turmeric.
Chewing marmalade "Test purchase"
How gummies are made
It seems that all the children of the world love these gelatin sweets. Still, because they are so diverse in form, color, and taste - with such a set of possibilities you will not get bored! Huge colorful worms or miniature bears are popular gummies. By the way, parents often restrict children's access to them, believing that these sweets contain a lot of sugar. But in fact, they do not carry any danger.
However, there is one nuance that may well make you feel embarrassed. If you look closely at the composition of the treat, you will find gelatin among the syrup, sugar and concentrates. Do you know what and how this product is made from?
Gelatin, as it turns out, does not grow on trees. This tasteless yellowish substance is obtained by long-term boiling of the skins, cartilage and bones of animals. That is, in fact, from the waste of meat production: bones, hooves, skins, horns, which remain after the processing of pork and beef.
Gelatin is produced either directly at meat processing plants, or manufacturers collect waste from slaughterhouses. Parts of animals are sterilized and boiled for a long time at a temperature of 140 degrees, and after that the mass is crushed and dried until it turns out White powder, which can be given any color and smell.
Gelatin has all the guarantees of safety, since it is made from natural ingredients. You can easily make any jelly or something similar out of it. You should also know that gelatin is found not only in sweets, but also in vitamins, medicines, sausages and canned food, fruit snacks. A real trap for vegetarians!
Indeed, the production of gelatin may look quite bloody and vile from the outside, but it must be admitted that this product contains absolutely no fats, carbohydrates and does not contain cholesterol. On the contrary, it includes 18 important amino acids that will help in the restoration of bones, ligaments and tendons. In any case, whether it is harmful or beneficial, it is always better to know exactly what you are eating.
Marmalade worms are a favorite delicacy not only for children, but also for adults. However, few people know that modern worms contain various artificial additives, including dyes, thickeners and starch, which adversely affect human health.
But what if you really want to enjoy this sweetness? There is a way out - to cook the worms yourself, using natural ingredients. The most common recipes and tips on how to make marmalade worms at home are collected in this article.
Composition and origin of marmalade
Before you start preparing treats, you should find out what these cute gummies include. The composition of modern marmalade worms contains: sugar, starch, gelatin, synthetic colors and flavors. However, earlier this sweet was prepared exclusively from natural products. So, for example, in France, where chewing marmalade first appeared in the 18th century, it was made from quince and apples. According to some versions, the "ancestor" of marmalade is oriental sweetness Turkish Delight, which has been prepared for thousands of years from rose water, fruits, starch, honey and other natural ingredients.
In Europe, they learned about chewing marmalade only in the 14th century. Local chefs have tried different ways preparation of this sweet and thus, came to the conclusion that quince, apples and apricots should be taken as the basis for marmalade. Only thanks to these fruits did the mixture acquire the desired consistency, as it turned out later, because of the substance contained in them - pectin.
Beneficial features
Natural pectin is not only an excellent thickener, but also an extremely beneficial component for human health, which helps to rid the body of toxins, decay products, excess cholesterol, heavy metals and other harmful substances. However, with the launch of mass production of marmalade, natural pectin began to be replaced with artificial pectin, which, unfortunately, does not possess such properties.
Marmalade worms at home
To be sure of the quality and naturalness of your favorite delicacy, you can cook it yourself, especially since this does not take much time and effort. There are many recipes for making this sweet, consider the most popular of them.
So how do you make gummy worms? This will require the following ingredients:
- 2 bags of gelatin;
- 500 grams of cherry or any other fruit and berry puree;
- 200 grams of sugar;
- water;
- optional natural dyes.
You need to dilute the gelatin with water and put it to swell. Strain the puree through cheesecloth into a saucepan, add sugar to it and boil until it is completely dissolved. Pour gelatin into boiling syrup, wait until it dissolves.
To form the worms you will need parchment. Roll the paper into tubes, place in a shallow saucepan right next to each other. Pour the gelatin mass into the tubes, wait for it to solidify completely. Delicious homemade marmalade worms are ready! It remains to open the parchment and get the finished product.
Unusual recipe
Those who have already searched the Internet for information on how to make marmalade worms at home have seen the unusual technology for preparing this beetroot delicacy more than once. Such worms are tasty, healthy and sure to please kids. To prepare them you will need:
- 600 grams of beets;
- 30 ml lemon juice;
- 10 g of ginger root;
- 120 ml of apple juice;
- 100 grams of sugar;
- 24 gr pectin.
Rinse the beets, wrap in foil and put in the oven for 80 minutes. During the entire baking, the temperature in the oven should be 200 degrees. Cool the prepared beets, grind in a blender to a puree state. Grate apples on a coarse grater, put on cheesecloth. Squeeze through it Apple juice, add it to beetroot puree.
Finely grate the ginger root, mix with lemon juice, add the resulting mixture to the rest of the puree. Add pectin, stir, put on the stove, bring to a boil. Add sugar to the finished liquid, boil for another five minutes.
Place the cocktail tubes in a separate container, pour the sweet mixture into them. Send the resulting "worms" to the refrigerator for three hours.
