LAB REPORT: ROCK CANDY

Food science 1001

23 February 2017
Oil, Ramita Chalearmchutidath

INTRODUCTION

Sugar is a natural component that plays an important role in

our diet for many years. Sugar is carbohydrate that arranged in a
ring structure, which means it contains the element of Carbon,
Hydrogen, and Oxygen (Sugar Facts: Lesson for Kids, 2017). Different
ring structure creates different types of sugar. Each type of sugar has
different types of properties. The most common type of sugar that
used in cooking is table sugar which known as sucrose (What is
Sugar?, 2016). Sweetness, caramelization, solubility and
crystallization are the four properties of sugar that make it an
important ingredient for producing food. Sugar provides a sweet
taste, which can be detecting through test receptors. Each person
has different test receptors that make different in the sensation of
sweetness. Sweetness is the property that can be found in every
sugar but may taste differently in different types. According to David
(2010), Factors such as sugar concentration, temperature, pH, the
presence of other flavors in the mouth as well as individual
sensitivity to sweet taste affect our ability to detect and recognize
sweetness (p. 3). This mean if any of these factors changed, the
taste of sugar will change as well. Caramelization is the reaction
between sugar and sugar that result in changing color and flavor. It is
a type of non-enzymatic browning reaction as no enzyme are
involved in this process (Caramelization, 2014). Sugar is highly
soluble in water, which means it dissolves well in water. This is
because sugar contains hydroxyl group (OH) that will form the
hydrogen bond with water and this makes sugar dissolved in water. If
too much sugar has been added into the solution at a certain
temperature, the solution will turn into saturated solution. However,
if the temperature increased, the sugar will be able to dissolve more
in that solution and will later turn into supersaturated solution
(Jason, 2015). Crystallization occurs after the water evaporates from
the boiled sugar solution, leaving the sugar particles behind. When
more sugars are added to a supersaturated solution; the sugar will
grow on top of each other and start to form crystals (Elena, 2014).
Without sugar, many foods, either natural or processed, would not
exist.
In this experiment, the rock candy will be formed through the
two properties of sugar, which is crystallization and solubility. Sugar
need to be dissolved in supersaturated solution and forms crystals. In
order to make a supersaturated solution, the large amount of sugar
is added to the solution at a certain temperature. Heating the
solution until all of the sugar is being dissolved and then it will form a
sticky liquid. After that, the sugar-covered stick is needed as it acts
as the base for crystals to form on top of each other.
 By making rock candy, it shows how sugar can dissolve in
supersaturated solution and form crystals. So the purpose of this
experiment is to see and learn the properties of sugar as regards to
solubility and crystallization.

Reference
Sugar Facts: Lesson for Kids. (n.d.). Retrieved March 03, 2017,
from http://study.com/academy/lesson/sugar-facts-lesson-for-
kids.html
What is Sugar? (n.d.). Retrieved March 03, 2017, from
http://www.responsiblefoods.org/sugar
David D. (2010). Sucrose: From Field to Table. Retrieved from
http://www.sugar.ca/SUGAR/media/Sugar-Main/PDFs/2010-
CHOnews_ENG-LR.pdf
Caramelization. (n.d.). (August 15, 2014). Retrieved March 03,
2017, from http://www.food-info.net/uk/colour/caramel.htm
Jason, L. (2015, June 12). What are saturated, unsaturated and
supersaturated solutions? | Socratic. Retrieved March 03, 2017,
from https://socratic.org/questions/what-are-saturated-
unsaturated-and-supersaturated-solutions
Elena, S. D. (2014, February 06). Practica in Process
Engineering II Crystallization. Retrieved March 04, 2017, from
https://www.ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-
interest/mavt/process-engineering/separation-processes-
laboratory-dam/documents/practica%20in%20process
%20engineering%202/crystallization.pdf