Jumping candy, also known as popping candy, jumps because it contains carbon dioxide gas that is trapped in the candy during the manufacturing process. When the candy is made, sugar is heated to a high temperature and then carbon dioxide is added under pressure. Once the candy cools and solidifies, the gas is trapped inside tiny bubbles. When you eat the candy, the moisture in your mouth dissolves the sugar, releasing the trapped carbon dioxide gas. This sudden release of gas creates a popping sensation, causing the candy to jump and crackle in your mouth. The unique texture and sound are what make jumping candy a fun and exciting treat.

1. Why do popping candies pop?

Speaking of popping candies, many friends with childhood memories are likely familiar with them. The feeling of these candy particles colliding and jumping in the mouth has brought us a lot of joy in our childhood. Many friends have this question: why do popping candies jump in the mouth? Here is the answer for everyone:

In fact, the reason popping candies jump is that they contain many small bubble structures filled with high-pressure carbon dioxide bubbles. When popping candies are stored, they are isolated from air and moisture, so there is no change. Once they enter the human mouth, saliva melts the outer candy coating, raises the temperature, and when the bubbles lose their protective layer and encounter saliva, the carbon dioxide is quickly released, causing a popping sound that resembles jumping. Therefore, popping candies are not really jumping in our mouths; rather, it is the process of carbon dioxide bubbles bursting that makes us feel like something is jumping in our mouths.

2. What is the principle of making popping candies?

Many people think that popping candies are made from special ingredients, but in fact, the ingredients for popping candies are similar to those of regular hard candies. The difference lies in a key step—carbonation, which involves infusing carbon dioxide. So, what is the principle behind making popping candies?

When making popping candies, the various ingredients are first mixed and heated according to the desired flavor to create a thick hot syrup. During production, the hot syrup is sent into an environment with high-pressure carbon dioxide gas for stirring. The pressure used here is about 50 times that of normal atmospheric pressure. As the syrup cools and solidifies in the high-pressure environment and returns to normal pressure, the candy infused with high-pressure gas will crack, and many small bubble structures containing high-pressure gas will still exist in the broken pieces. This is also the reason why popping candies have an irregular particle shape.