How Do Pop Rocks Work?
What gives the famous popping candy its signature pop?
Pop Rocks (a common brand of popping candy) are a unique candy that pops when you put them in your mouth. They taste great and they’re pretty fun to eat.
The interesting candy was first offered to the public in 1975, and people of all ages have been popping them into their mouths ever since.
How Pop Rocks work
Pop Rocks are made with an interesting patented process developed by William A. Mitchell, who also played a part in creating other food/drink brands such as Cool-Whip, quick-set Jell-O, and Tang.
The candy starts off almost like any other hard candy — a mixture of sugar, lactose, corn syrup, water, and colors/flavoring. This solution is heated until the water has boiled off.
Now, there’s an extra step to make the Pop Rocks pop. The solution is mixed with carbon dioxide gas at around 600 psi. When the pressure gets released, the candy shatters into tiny pieces, each containing little bubbles of carbon dioxide gas.
When you pop the candy into your mouth, the candy is dissolved by your saliva, letting the gas escape. It’s the escaping carbon dioxide that flings the bits of candy across your mouth, creating that familiar popping sensation.
Are they dangerous?
If you were to put a whole packet of Pop Rocks into your mouth at once, you’d only have around 1/10 the carbon dioxide as you could get with a mouthful of soda.
And while the popping is dramatic, you won’t chip a tooth — although the artificial colors and flavors may not be the healthiest things to eat.
