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Gummy bears (German: Gummibär) are small, Wine gum candy, similar to a jelly baby in some English-speaking countries. The candy is roughly long and shaped in the form of a bear. The gummy bear is one of many Gummi candy, popular gelatin-based candies sold in a variety of shapes and colors by various brands such as Haribo.
In the United States, Haribo gummy bears are sold in five flavors: raspberry (red); orange (orange); strawberry (green); pineapple (colorless); and lemon (yellow). Trolli bears are most often sold in five flavors in the United States, and in the same colors; however, Trolli's red bear is strawberry-flavored, while the green is lime and the colorless is grape. Many companies emulate either Haribo or Trolli flavor-color combinations. Health-oriented brands, which often use all-natural flavors, sometimes opt for more and different flavors. For example, the boxed bulk gummies sold by Sunflower Market include grape, pineapple-coconut and peach, among others.
Production uses a specialized machine called a starch mogul. The image of the gummy bear is stamped into a tray filled with powdered starch. The hot, liquid mixture is poured into the indentations in the starch and allowed to cool overnight. Once the mixture has set, the candies can be removed from the mold and packaged. The molds are open on top, so only the bear's front is formed while the back remains flat. The original design for each type of candy is carved into plaster by an artist, then duplicated by a machine and used to create the starch molds for the production line.
Gummy bears made with bovine, Pig or Fish gelatin are not suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Those with porcine gelatin or from animals not slaughtered in either of the two contradictory ritualistic fashions do not conform to kashrut or halal dietary laws. In its factory in Turkey, Haribo produces halal bears and other sweets made with bovine gelatin. Also, some gummy bears are made with pectin or starch instead of gelatin, making them suitable for vegetarians.
Large sour gummy bears are larger and flatter than regular ones, have a softer texture and include fumaric acid or other acid ingredients to produce a sour flavor. Some manufacturers produce sour bears with a different texture based on starch instead of gelatin. Typically, starch produces a shorter (cleaner bite, less chewy) texture than does gelatin.
Gummy bears, and other gummy candy, stick to teeth and may cause dental caries. However, gummy bears containing the cavity-fighting additive xylitol (wood sugar) are now being tested. Trolli has developed its "acti-line" of gummy candy that it claims will help the immune system and teeth.
There has been concern that gelatin in most gummy bears may harbor , particularly those that cause bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle and new-variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease in humans. Based on studies, the United States FDA and other national organizations and countries consider the risk of BSE transmission through gelatin to be minuscule as long as precautions are followed during manufacturing. FDA Asian Food Information center
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