Who can think of candy and not conjure images of garishly coloured, sugar-laden confections that dissolve into pools of flavour in our mouths and dredge up feelings of nostalgia from our past? If you combine the two words together, candy-making and freeze-drying, what do you see? Freeze-dried flavour adventures. Sweet treats with an altered texture and intensified flavour.

The Magic of Freeze Drying

Understanding the Process

We can change the state of an object by subjecting it to the three accelerations that accompany the temperature changes during the state transitions from solid to liquid to gas. The essential alteration occurs according to just two different forces. Freeze-drying, or lyophilisation, goes one step further. To make sublimation possible, the water needs to be removed from a product by freezing it and then reducing the ambient pressure. As a consequence, the solid water in the product turns directly into a gas, vapour, skipping the liquid phase altogether.

Benefits for Candy

And so much more than just change in texture when applied to candy: the removal of water concentrates flavours, after all, creating sensations of sheer flavour intensity, while freeze-dried candies can benefit from the resulting lightness and crunchiness of their texture.

Embarking on a Flavor Adventure

Classic Sweets with a Twist

Imagine the taste of a gummy bear after it’s been freeze-dried. Though crispy on the outside, if you sink your choppers into it, you’ll find that the flavour explodes in your mouth like a concentrated version of the gummy delicacy in which it originated. Think of freeze-dried marshmallows, hard candies, even chocolate bars – a whole range of well-known treats that old, but in a new way.

Exploring New Sensations

Yes, there’s a place for traditionals, but freeze-drying could also help invent new candies entirely, perhaps a sweet with chilly, fruity taste, say, of mango-chili or lavender lemon, then dried to give a taste-and-texture experience that could have a new consumer adventure.

The Future of Freeze-Dried Candies

The eventual applications of this evolving food tech will allow makers to create new flavours and textures to add to the candy pantheon. Alongside freeze drying, manufacturers will be able to create flavour profiles that will be irresistible to modern-day adventurers and purists alike.

Sustainability and Beyond

Additionally, sustainability is another big selling point. With longer shelf lives and being significantly lighter, freeze-dried foods can be shipped and stored more efficiently, meaning lower carbon footprints. In an increasingly eco-conscious world, it could be freeze-drying rather than carbon copying that leads the way for the confectionery trade.

Conclusion

The convergence of candy and freeze-drying is proof positive that when it comes to pushing the envelope of culinary engineering anything is achievable. Given the directions in which the world of sweet snacks is headed, you can be sure this isn’t the last time your gustatory world will be turned upside down. If you flip for culinary innovation or just can’t get enough of candies and sweet treats, the PhD Cockpit is confident that freeze-dried candies will be a flavour-filled delight.