Lolly
A lollipop is candy that consists of hard sugar, which is melted on a paper or plastic stick. Lollipops are meant to be licked or sucked.
A standard lollipop consists of sugar, corn syrup, flavourings and citric or malic acid. Citric acid enhances the citrus flavour if one is present, and makes the candy less sweet. Malic acid, on the other hand, enhances other flavours than citrus fruit.
Lollipops are available in many flavours, colours and shapes. Some lollipops contain a filling, like chewing gum or sal ammoniac.
Production lollipops
Raw materials
Lollipops consist mainly of sugar and corn syrup. The sugar is dissolved in water of 82°C. This dissolving can take a long time, up to 9 hours.
The corn syrup is delivered fluid. Both fluids are pumped to a pre-cooker to create a mixture of 55% sugar water and 45% corn syrup.
Precooking
In the pre-cooker, the mixture is heated to approximately 109°C. This heating is done by leading the mixture alongside spirals which are heated with steam.
Cooking under vacuum
The mixture is pumped from the pre-cooker to a final cooker, in which it is cooked under vacuum for approximately 4 minutes at 143°C. Due to the vacuum, moist and heat is extracted from the candy.
Mixing
After the cooking, the remaining ingredients, like additives and citric and malic acid, are added as fluids. The whole is then kneaded by two mechanic arms. Due to the mixing, the ingredients are thoroughly distributed and the present air bubbles are kneaded out of the mass. The mixture also cools down because of the mixing, reaching the right temperature and consistency to create lollipops.
Shaping
Portions of the mixture are extruded and rolled to a thick wire. These wires are cut into smaller parts by means of wheels. Depending on the type of lollipop, the parts are then pressed into a shape. The stick is pushed in the new shape and a roller is used to close the sugar mass around the stick.
Paper lollipop sticks are often used. These have a coating, as a protection against salvia.
Cooling
After the shaping, the lollipops are cooled by means of cold air in a slowly rotating drum. The candy is cooled to room temperature for 4 minutes.
Wrapping
The lollipops are then guided on a moving band to a wrapping machine, where foil is wrapped around the candy part of the lollipop. Finally, the lollipops are wrapped in a box or bag.
