How To Soften Gummy Bears?

1.Why Do Gummy Bears Get Hardened?

Gummy Bears can get hardened because of many factors ranging from assigned to their ingredient: Gelatin or Pectin, unsuitable storage, and weather conditions

Gelatin or Pectin Ratio to Water: Gelatin is an animal-sourced, a proteinous agent which is added to the gummy to form its gelling. Pectin is plant based agent also added to jelly like candies. There is a certain prerequisite ratio for addition of gelatin or pectin to a gummy candy along with water. If you increase the concentration of gelatin or pectin in comparison with fewer water levels it would result in a rubbery texture and a hard gummy.

Improper Storage

If the gummy is kept open for too long or is not stored properly, loss of moisture along with oxidation causes water content to evaporate. This might also result in stiffness and shrinkage of gummies.

Weather Conditions

You might’ve noted that your gummy bears turn hard in cold weather or if faced with dry air. This is because humid climate conditions absorb the moisture content from the gummies into the surrounding, especially if they are not stored in an airtight containers.

2.How Can You Prevent Your Gummy Bears From Hardening?

We’re sure you won’t love your gummies getting hardened. Would you? So you can prevent and avoid your gummies from hardening! We just read above that there are a few factors which cause hardening of gummies.

For that, you must ensure that you take care of it’s proper storage conditions. For keeping your gummies fresh and soft for a longer time, enclose them in a thick plastic ziplock bag or an airtight container if the packet is opened or keep them refrigerated (in warm climates).

Some cooking experts have also shared their experiences of adding glycerine, coating with any oil or wax, or including corn syrup to retain and lock moisture as these ingredients work as humectants, therefore, protecting gummies from hardening. The humectants work to protect the gummies from oxidation in humid climates.

3.How Do You Keep your Gummy Bears Moist but not Sticky?

Caught with some sort of perplexity seeing the question? You start wondering how is it possible that gummies stay moist and yet not wet and sticky? We will answer this curiosity for you!

Moistness is an essential part of formation of gummies and locking that water content inside depends upon the consumer for how long they want to happily nibble on it.

As we discussed above, using of any oil or wax such as carnauba wax or cornstarch to coat the gummies keeps the gummies moist longer. But to prevent them from getting sticky, you must look into the sugar concentration added , water levels used and storage conditions applied. If the sugar is too high, the gummies become stickier and join together due to bonding. If the water levels are too high than required, your gummies would turn out wetter and more sticky. Keep the gummies stored in a cool and dry area, preventing humidity and heat from affecting its consistency.

4.How to Soften Gummy Bears?

Let’s just get into the discussion now! There are several ways which will help your hard gummies to soften back again . We will look into them one by one.

The Microwave Method

Although this might sound fascinating and applicable to you, but this method enables quick and on the go texture reversal of your gummies . Once placed in the microwave’s heat for few seconds, they will no longer be hard to chew. But only for a while. You will have to place all the gummy pieces out spread evenly for heat to penetrate each gummy equally.

Using Food With High Water Content

Fruits that have good amount of water in them such as orange peel, sliced apple, sliced cucumber and carrot or a piece of bread can be used to transfer their moisture to the hard unchewable gummy bears. Keeping them inside an airtight container and waiting for more than 12 hrs can give you satisfactory results in the form of softened gummy bears.

The Solvent Method

You might have got a clue what solvent would be required for the immersion of gummy bears inside them. Did you? Well, to answer this it’s simply the use of water as a solvent. According to your preference, you can also add vodka or alcohol too. For softening them you will place the gummy bears dipped inside the water or alcohol and let them rest for at least twenty minutes. They will gain back their lost hydration and be soft again.

5.Can You Melt and Remold Gummy Bears?

Yes, it is possible to achieve melted gummy bears and remold them again. For any reason, if your gummy bears have lost their texture, or simply because you want them to be melted and transformed into new shapes, it can be done easily.

Gummy bears can be melted inside a microwave, or on the stove using a saucepan or a double boiler and also by using hot water. Once they are melted to desired consistency, they can be filled into molds and later refrigerated for fixing them properly.

6.How Does Gelatin Blooming make a Gummy Soft?

Blooming of gelatin is indicated by a certain “Blooming Number” that would describe how much firmness will the gummy or any gelatinous product hold.  As the gelatin is taken up by the gummy, hydration takes place and it swells or grows in size giving the gummy soft texture.

It depends on the precise measurements you take to add water and gelatin in a perfect desired ratio. It also depends on the setting time you allow the gummy candy to rest and sit whether in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

7.Will Sugar Water Dissolve Gummy Bears?

No, sugar water does not dissolve gummy bears rather enlarge them.
There is a fun filled science behind this phenomenon. Have you heard about osmosis?
When you place the gummy bears inside a solution of water and sugar, the process of osmosis takes place.

As you know gummy bears are composed of gelatin, sugar, and water as a prime ingredient. If water leaves the gummy it will become rock harder. But what happened when you keep gummy in sugar water?  The water will move inside the gummy bears, as they already contain sugar content, and swell meanwhile in this process.

This movement is based on molecular concentration; that’s why it move from concentration towards higher. The force behind this movement is called ‘osmotic pressure’. In return, it makes gummy bears soft and expanded.

8.Can You Dissolve Gummy Bears In Hot Water?

We’ve just read above in the solvent method of ways for softening gummy bears that gummies can be solubilized in hot water. This is because of it’s main ingredient , gelatin. Gelatin is a water soluble protein that when comes in contact with hot water breaks it’s bonds into smaller fragments and thus get dissolved.

9.Which Liquid Dissolves Gummy Bears Faster For Softening Them?

Many liquids are there that can be used to dissolve or soften gummy bears but the one that dissolves it faster is the hot water and the water containing meat tenderiser in it. Experiments were carried to figure this out that which liquid would melt the gummy bears first.
Liquids like

• vinegar,
• oil,
• salt solution,
• sugar solution,
• tea,
• hot water
• and water containing meat tenderiser (pepsin) were used in the process.

Water containing meat tenderiser (pepsin) , works by breaking the gelatinous bonds into smaller amino acid fragments which easily dissolves the gummies in them. Similarly hot water also worked to breakdown gummy bears into melted candy. Rest of the liquids did not

have a good impact upon melting the gummy bears at all.

10.Do Gummy Bears Need To Be Refrigerated?

Gummy bears do not really require to be refrigerated. They can easily stay in accurate texture in the usual room temperature only. But there is an exception to it. If the weather is hot and humid , it will be better storing your gummy bears in refrigerator.

Putting your gummy bears in fridge will ensure a long shelf life than the regular expiry date but it might harden them a bit . This goes for some special gummies, like Gummy Vitamins which have label instructions to refrigerate them for best flavour retention and storage.

11.Can Softening Gummy Bears Lose their Potency?

Softening gummy bears do not reduce their potency infact they enhance their taste and chewability. Usually gummies go bad if they turn too brittle, if they melt or if they grow molds on it only. Each type of gummy, whether it is a medicated one or confectionery product has a certain period of it’s shelf life. It only loses it’s efficacy if not stored according to their required stability conditions.

A melted CBD or vitamin gummy might not actually lose their efficacy if not exposed to heat for quite a long time. Gummy vitamins have a chance of losing their potency if kept in a cool temperature of refrigerator because of the moisture.

12.What Are Tips To Consider Softening Gummy Bears Doesn’t Go Wrong?

Here we’ve gathered and found some tips that if which you follow won’t turn your gummy softening process into a disappointment. Gummy bears are very delicate to handle and so care must be taken while formulating it for the better taste.

When you place your gummy bears in microwave oven with the intention of softening it, remember that you monitor and control the temperature as suitable for melting. If you melt it for too long or at a higher temperature than required it will turn completely messy and sticky.

While using any liquid to immerse the gummy bears in them, do consider that the liquid will have it’s affect on the flavour and texture of the gummy too. For eg: Using alcohol would turn your gummy into alcohol infused gummy bears, Using water would turn your gummy bears into swollen shaped candy.

If Gummy Bears are placed in water, it’s temperature must be hot enough to regain back their moisture and not to melt them. Using cold water would not rehydrate the gummy bears at all.

Before placing gummy bears in a ziplock bag with a piece of bread or fruits, check that they’re not stale. Stale food won’t provide moisture to your gummy bears for the purpose of softening it. Slices of fruits or vegetables used might leave it’s flavour behind in the gummy bears.

13.What Is Melting Temperature of Gummy Bears?

The melting point for gummy bears depend upon their differing types of composition. For instance the gummy bears made up of gelatin melt much earlier and easier than those made with vegan based pectin.

Gelatin is a substance which is sensitive to heat .You might have noticed that if you leave a packet of your gummy bears in the car in hot weather it would be found all slimy and melted. As it has very low melting temperature of around 32°C or 90°F minimum, which can reach by maximum upto 95°F.

Although pectin too can melt in hot temperature, but comparatively with gelatin they take a little longer before they do so. It has contrastingly higher melting point which is around as low as 143°C till 200° C which makes it suitable for transportation.

14.How To Soften Gummy Vitamins?

Do you know what is the optimal performance requirement for your vitamin gummy bears? It is linked with how soft and fresh you want them to be! You must keep your vitamin gummy bears refrigerated .

But wait, what can you do if they get hard? To soften your gummy vitamins back again you can warm them by placing in a bowl of hot water until the desired consistency is achieved . This will rehydrate the lost water content from the gummy vitamins. You can also put them in microwave oven for few seconds to revive their chewiness back again.

15.How To Soften CBD Gummy Bears?

CBD gummy bears are fun filled edibles used for therapeutic purpose containing cannabidiol (CBD) oil. Available in different colors and flavors CBD are also prone to hardness in certain conditions such as enivornment, storage, less water content., you can also soften them as you’ve seen the methods to soften gummy bears in previous headings., Similarly same goes for softening your hard turned CBD gummy bears.

You don’t need to worry if your CBD edibles have gone unchewable, you simply need to soak them in hot water or alcohol . Allow them to dry to let excessive moisture evaporate and come in best form again.

But always keep in mind the temperature range must be limited to sustain its potency for e.g it is reported that the CBD gummy bears between 320 degrees and 356 degrees Fahrenheit can cause breakdown of its active molecules. Therefore, the most of its nutritional benefits become lost.

16.Does Softening Gummy Bears make them more Sticky?

The answer to this question will be relied upon how consciously and carefully you carry out your gummy softening process.

You need to take care of the temperature of the water you provide your gummy bears to soak in. It should neither be cold nor too hot to directly melt the gummy bears. If you allow your gummy bears to sit in the hot water for too long , it might turn out opposite of what you wanted. This is because excessive water would swell the gummy bears due to osmosis.

If you heat them in a saucepan or microwave at increased temperature it will turn out all sticky and create a mess in your oven.

Softening Gummy bears won’t make them more sticky if you take care of above discussed points.

Conclusion

In the 21^st century, the interest in gummy bears in food supplement industry, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical has enhanced its market value. Today, Gummy bears are not only popular among kids but among all age groups. How To Soften Gummy Bears article has major methodology about achieve chewy and elasticy in gummy bears. For More Information or Product Purchase Please Contact Our Service Center Now!