Author Question: Explain the mechanism by which cream of tartar acts as an interfering ... (Read 72 times)

nramada · **on:** Aug 19, 2018

Explain the mechanism by which cream of tartar acts as an interfering agent.

Question 2

How does the temperature at which the beating of a crystalline candy is initiated influence the quality of the final product?

hugthug12 · **Reply #1 on:** Aug 19, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Interfering agents inhibit crystallization by inhibiting nuclei formation; by physically coating the crystals, which prevents their growth; and by decreasing water activity, leaving less water available for the sugar to dissolve. Cream of tarter acts as an interfering agent by forming invert sugar from sucrose, which then gets in the way of sugar molecules.

Answer to Question 2

Sugar molecules move rapidly in a hot solution, but slow down as the temperature drops. Small crystals are less likely to aggregate in hot solution, but the crystals that do form grow large. The goal for crystalline candies is to quickly cool the product to slow molecular movement and then stir to form small crystals due to aggregation of the molecules. This lends to the formation of numerous small crystals that provide a smoother consistency.