Summary of "How Jawbreakers Are Made"

Summary of “How Jawbreakers Are Made”

This video explains the detailed process of manufacturing jawbreakers, focusing on both gum-centered and hard candy-centered varieties. It covers the preparation of the gum centers, shaping, flavoring, layering with sugar coatings, and finishing touches.

Main Ideas and Concepts

Gum Center Preparation

Synthetic rubber is blended with powdered resin to dissolve the rubber.
Additional ingredients include a thickener, preservative, and soya palm oil (to prevent candy from sticking to teeth).
The mixture is steamed at 300°F for four hours.
After cooling for 24 hours, the hardened batter is chopped and mixed with corn syrup to soften and sweeten it.
Natural and artificial flavors (lemon, orange, strawberry, grape, tutti frutti) and icing sugar are added for taste and smoothness.

Shaping the Gum Centers

The gum batter is extruded into continuous ropes.
Each rope is divided into six hollow tubes to create air pockets inside the gum.
Tubes are sliced into 3-foot segments.
Mechanical arms push these segments into forming machines where steel rollers slice and shape them into balls of varying diameters.
The gum centers are cooled in tunnels with air blowing through perforations.
Another forming machine restores the round shape after cooling.

Hard Candy Center Production

Candy powder is compressed using machines similar to pharmaceutical pill presses.
The powder is fed into molds and compressed with up to five tons of force to form solid candy centers.

Coating Process

Candy centers are placed in a coating pan with a hot mixture of water, corn syrup, and food coloring.
Dextrose (powdered sugar) is added.
The pan rotates for 20 minutes while warm air dries the layers.
This coating step is repeated 10 times to build multiple layers.

Finishing Touches

Some jawbreakers receive special speckled color treatments, called the “psychedelic look.”
After drying for 24 hours, powdered carnauba wax is applied for a shiny finish.
Final jawbreakers have 10 layers of flavor and sugar surrounding either the gum or hard candy center.
They measure about 2.25 inches in diameter (similar to a billiard ball).
Jawbreakers are approximately 90% sugar, making them very high in calories.

Methodology / Step-by-Step Process

Prepare Gum Base:
- Blend synthetic rubber with powdered resin.
- Add thickener, preservative, and soya palm oil.
- Steam mixture at 300°F for 4 hours.
- Cool for 24 hours until hardened.
- Chop and mix with corn syrup.
- Add flavors and icing sugar.
Shape Gum Centers:
- Extrude into ropes.
- Divide ropes into hollow tubes.
- Slice tubes into segments.
- Form into balls with steel rollers.
- Cool in air tunnels.
- Restore round shape.
Prepare Hard Candy Centers (if applicable):
- Compress candy powder into solid shapes using high pressure.
Coating Process:
- Place centers in coating pan.
- Add hot syrup mixture and dextrose.
- Rotate and dry for 20 minutes.
- Repeat coating 10 times.
Final Treatment:
- Apply speckled colors for special effects.
- Dry for 24 hours.
- Add powdered carnauba wax for shine.

Speakers/Sources Featured

The video features an unnamed factory worker/narrator explaining the manufacturing process.
No other speakers or sources are explicitly identified in the subtitles.

This summary captures the essential steps and details of jawbreaker production as presented in the video.