{{Short description|Gum-based chewable sweets}}
{{redirect2|Gummy|Gummi}} {{Infobox food | name = Gummy candy | image = Fale - Barcellona - 194.jpg | caption = Collection of gummy candies at a market in Barcelona | alternate_name = Gummies, jelly sweets | country = United Kingdom <br> Germany <br> United States | region = | course = | type = Confectionery | served = | main_ingredient = Gelatin/natural gum | variations = Gummy bear, Jelly Babies, gummy worms | calories = | no_recipes = false }}
'''Gummies''', '''fruitgums''', '''gummi candies''', '''gummy candies''', or '''jelly sweets''' are a broad category of gelatin- or gum-based chewable sweets. Popular types include gummy bears, Sour Patch Kids, Jelly Babies and gummy worms. Various brands such as Bassett's, Haribo, Albanese, Betty Crocker, Hersheys, Disney and Kellogg's manufacture various forms of gummy snacks, often targeted at young children. The name ''gummi'' originated in Germany,<ref name="auto">{{Cite news |url=http://www.bonappetit.com/entertaining-style/pop-culture/article/history-gummy-bears |title=A Brief History of Gummy Bears - Bon Appétit |first1=Jacqueline |last1=Burt |date=October 10, 2014 |newspaper=Bon Appétit |language=en-US |access-date=2016-10-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331150254/http://www.bonappetit.com/entertaining-style/pop-culture/article/history-gummy-bears |archive-date=31 March 2023}}</ref> with the terms ''jelly sweets'' and ''gums'' more common in the United Kingdom.
== History == {{expand section|note=Move details from Gummi bear; make that article a subarticle of this one, obviously.|date=December 2010}} Gummies have a long history as a popular confectionery, appearing as early as the 19th century.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Chewy Journey Through Time: The Chronological History of Gummy Candy |url=https://studyofsweets.com/blogs/news/history-of-gummy-candy |website=Study of Sweets |publisher=The Website|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203174156/https://studyofsweets.com/blogs/news/history-of-gummy-candy|archive-date=3 December 2023}}</ref>
Peter Cooper was the first to create an edible Gelatin. Cooper purchased a glue factory in 1822, of which one of its productions was taking animal-based by-products and turning them into gelatin.<ref name=":0">{{Citation |last=Shutte |first=Sue |title=Peter Cooper & Jell-O |url=https://www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/education/docs/hf-Jello%20and%20Peter%20Cooper.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251227153954/https://www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/education/docs/hf-Jello%20and%20Peter%20Cooper.pdf |archive-date=2025-12-27 |url-status=live |publisher=NJ State Historic Sites}}</ref> He patented the invention on the 20th of June 1845.<ref>{{Cite patent|country=US|number=4084|title=IMPROVEMENT IN THE PREPARATION OF PORTABLE GELATINE|gdate=1845-06-20|invent1=Cooper|inventor1-first=Peter|url=https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/5d/d1/14/3be1523077d1c1/US4084.pdf}}</ref> The patent was later sold to Pearl Wait - a cough syrup manufacturer - via Mr, Cooper's estate.<ref name=":0" /> Later, Mr. Wait's wife May renamed the product to the catchy name Jell-O.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History – JELL-O Gallery |url=https://jellogallery.org/history/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250726191436/https://jellogallery.org/history/ |archive-date=2025-07-26 |access-date=2025-12-13 |website=jellogallery.org |language=en-US}}</ref>
The first gelatin based shaped candy was the Unclaimed Babies, sold by Fryers of Lancashire in 1864.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Potts |first1=Lauren |title=Sweet success: Unravelling the Jelly Baby's dark past |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-35100612 |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |date=28 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102015447/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-35100612|archive-date=2 November 2023}}</ref>
In the 1920s, Hans Riegel Sr. of Germany started his own candy company and eventually popularized the fruit flavored gummy candy with gelatin as the main ingredient.<ref name="auto"/> By the start of World War II, the company started by Riegel employed over 400 people and produced multiple tons of candy each day.<ref name="auto"/> The company was named Haribo, and it became a main producer of gummy bears.
== Ingredients == Gummy candies are made mostly of corn syrup, sucrose, gelatin, starch and water. In addition, minor amounts of coloring and flavoring agents are used. Food acids such as citric acid and malic acid are also added in order to give a sharp flavor to gummies. It is often that other gelling agents are used in place of gelatin to make gummy candies suitable for vegans or vegetarians, such as agar agar, starch and pectin.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Burey |first1=P. |last2=Bhandari |first2=B.R. |last3=Rutgers |first3=R.P.G. |last4=Halley |first4=P.J. |last5=Torley |first5=P.J. |title=Confectionery Gels: A Review on Formulation, Rheological and Structural Aspects |journal=International Journal of Food Properties |date=January 2009 |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=176–210 |doi=10.1080/10942910802223404 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
== Types of gummies == {{More citations needed|section|date=August 2017|reason=Various unsubstantiated claims and unsourced material.}} {{Expand section|small=no|date=August 2017|reason=Incomplete list.}}
===Jelly Babies=== {{main|Jelly babies}}
thumb|Jelly Babies Jelly Babies originated in the United Kingdom and were first produced in 1864 by Fryers of Lancashire, where they were initially sold as "Unclaimed Babies". By 1918, they were being produced by Bassett's in Sheffield, which later popularized the confection.<ref>{{Cite web |title=From Unclaimed Babies to Peace Babies |url=https://www.attleboroughheritage.org.uk/DocumentStore/sweetbabies22June.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415132702/https://www.attleboroughheritage.org.uk/DocumentStore/sweetbabies22June.pdf|archive-date=15 April 2023}}</ref>
===Bears=== {{Main|Gummy bear}} [[File:Gummy bears.jpg|thumb|right|Haribo gummy bears were first made in Germany.]] Gummy bears originated in Germany, where it is popular under the name ''Gummibär'' (rubber bear) or ''Gummibärchen'' (little rubber bear). Hans Riegel Sr., a maker from Bonn, produced these sweets under the Haribo company name, which he started in 1920.<ref>{{cite web |title=History |url=https://www.haribo.com/en/about-us/history |publisher=Haribo|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607224447/https://www.haribo.com/en/about-us/history|archive-date=7 June 2023}}</ref>
===Cola Bottles=== {{Redirect|Cola bottle|the Coca-Cola bottle design|Coca-Cola bottle}} thumb|Various gummy food items: a cola bottle gummy, a gummy hot dog, a pizza, a hamburger, and a box of fries [[File:Sour rainbow belts.jpg|thumb|Vegan rainbow sour belts with taste of strawberry made by Candy Plus, Czech Republic]] Cola bottles are sweets in the shape of classic Coca-Cola-style bottles with a cola flavor. They are produced by numerous companies. "Fizzy Blue Bottles", made by Lutti (formerly part of the French division of the Leaf Company, now controlled by a private investment group), are sweets typically found in a pick and mix selection. These are very similar to cola bottle gummies in shape, but they are usually sour and coloured blue and pink. "Blue Bottles", a variation from another company, are identifiable by the small rims around the sides, and are chewier and thicker, with a sweeter taste. There are also Lime cola bottles, which typically retain the brownish-red colour and replace the clear top with a green colour, and mint flavoured bottles, which replace the cola flavor with a mint flavor and are typically green instead of brown-red.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}
===Rings=== {{see also|Life Savers}} A ring-shaped gummy is often covered in sugar or sour powder. The most common and popular flavor is the peach ring. Other flavors include green apple, melon, blue raspberry, strawberry, and aniseed — although these are typically coated in chocolate. A commonly known producer of gummy rings is Trolli, for which the gummy rings are an important asset.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://trolli.de/trolliapfelringe225g.php |title=Trolli - trolliapfelringe225g |website=Trolli.de |access-date=2011-12-15 |archive-date=2011-08-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110831122414/http://trolli.de/trolliapfelringe225g.php |url-status=dead }}</ref>
===Red frogs=== In Australia, jelly confectionery in the shape of frogs has been very popular since the 1930s{{Citation needed|date=August 2017}}. They are colored red or green, although they are usually referred to as "red frogs". These have influenced the shape, structure, consistency and formula that make gummy bears. Red frog gummies are not associated with the Red Frogs Association.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}
===Roadkill=== In 2004, Trolli's U.S. arm introduced a roadkill themed gummy candy in the shape of flattened animals. In February 2005, following complaints by the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Kraft decided to stop production of the controversial Trolli U.S. Road Kill Gummies. The society complained that the products, shaped as partly flattened squirrels, chickens and snakes, would give children an incorrect message on the proper treatment of animals.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-131994663.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026104529/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-131994663.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 October 2012 |title=Trolli Road Kill dies under pressure from animal activists |publisher=Kraft Foods Inc. |date=1 March 2005 }}</ref>
===Teeth=== In Australia, jelly confectionery in the shape of teeth has been very popular since the 1930s.{{Citation needed|date=August 2017}} They are colored pink and white, with pink representing the gums and teeth being white. They have a slight minty flavor, similar to mint toothpaste.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}
=== Vitamin === thumb|upright|Vitamin D gummies There are also several multi-vitamin gummy products, usually marketed for children, such as Flintstones Chewable Vitamins.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.flintstonesvitamins.com/|title=Flintstones Vitamins {{!}} Multivitamins & Supplements for Kids|website=www.flintstonesvitamins.com|access-date=2016-09-27}}</ref> They are more palatable and appealing to children than equivalent vitamin pills.
===Worm=== {{main|Gummy worms}}
Worm-shaped gummy candy can be attributed to the German confectionery manufacturer Trolli in 1981.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-07-15 |title=Today is: Gummi Worm Day |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/today-gummi-worm-day-092406821.html |access-date=2023-09-07 |website=Yahoo Finance |language=en-US |publisher=Yahoo!}}</ref> They are a popular choice among Halloween trick-or-treaters, and sold with different flavors and coatings.
== Health considerations == Times Scientists have studied adding the tooth-protecting sugar substitute xylitol to gummies to prevent tooth decay caused by sugar.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://living.oneindia.in/health/child-nutrition/2008/gummy-bears-snacking-tooth-decay-290708.html|title=Gummy Bears Can Fight Cavities|year=2008|agency=Asian News International|newspaper=OneIndia|access-date=19 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206025911/http://living.oneindia.in/health/child-nutrition/2008/gummy-bears-snacking-tooth-decay-290708.html|archive-date=6 February 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Choking risks are higher with gummy candies; research shows that "hard, round foods with high elasticity or lubricity properties, or both, pose a significant level of risk," especially to children under three years of age.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Altkorn |first1=Robert |last2=Chen |first2=Xiao |last3=Milkovich |first3=Scott |last4=Stool |first4=Daniel |last5=Rider |first5=Gene |last6=Bailey |first6=C. Martin |last7=Haas |first7=Angela |last8=Riding |first8=Keith H. |last9=Pransky |first9=Seth M. |last10=Reilly |first10=James S. |title=Fatal and non-fatal food injuries among children (aged 0–14 years) |journal=International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology |date=July 2008 |volume=72 |issue=7 |pages=1041–1046 |doi=10.1016/j.ijporl.2008.03.010 |pmid=18455807 }}</ref> This can be resolved with use of the Heimlich maneuver.
== Storage == Storage of gummy candies in conditions of high humidity will result in the moisture migration of water molecules from the surrounding environment into the candy. If gummy candies are exposed to an environment that is high in moisture content, it is likely that moisture will permeate the candy and increase its relative moisture content. An increase in the candy's moisture content will increase the molecular mobility of particles in the candy, leading to a variety of unwanted outcomes such as:
* Sucrose crystallization and subsequent grainy texture. * A sticky candy surface. * Diffusion of flavors out of the candy. * Possibility of microbial growth.
Moisture migration of gummy candies can be prevented by storing candies in conditions where the surrounding environment is equal to their own moisture content.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ergun |first1=R. |last2=Lietha |first2=R. |last3=Hartel |first3=R. W. |title=Moisture and Shelf Life in Sugar Confections |journal=Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition |date=29 January 2010 |volume=50 |issue=2 |pages=162–192 |doi=10.1080/10408390802248833 |pmid=20112158 }}</ref>
== See also == *Albanese Candy *Fruit Gems *Fruit Pastilles *Gumdrop *Gummy supplements, gummy candy with dietary supplements, produced to be more palatable than regular supplements *Jelly baby *Jelly bean *Quince cheese *Swedish Fish
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrypdAGEZBg&t=1m57s Gummy candies being made in a factory] (video)
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gummi}} Category:British confectionery Category:German confectionery Category:Gummi candies