WHAT'S THAT STUFF?
amphiphilic nature gives it foam-stabilizing properties. A typical gelatin polypeptide contains the amino acids alanine, glycine, proline, arginine, glutamic acid, and hydroxyproline. It is preparedfromcollagen, which is isolatedfromanimal bones and fish skins with a dilute acid. According to some religious dietary laws, N I984, THE BLOCKBUSTER MOVIE mallow makers developed new recipes and eating gelatin preparedfromanimals is un"Ghostbusters" put a whole lot of processes. acceptable. Fish gelatin is used by the pharmarshmallow on the big screen In the By the early 20th century, mallow root maceutical industry to make pill capsules, film, three out-of-work parapsychology extract was replaced by egg whites or gelaprofessors decide to start abusiness to rid tin. Both of these proteins are more readily but it is scarcely used in food products because it is expensive. Food scientists have New York City of supernatural entities with available and have well-studied foaming 0 therefore tried to make marshmallows technology they designed. A sudden surge properties. Today's marshmallows gen e •L with soy, pectin, agar, carrageenan, in paranormal activity puts their services in eraUy contain corn syrup, modiand other hydrocolloids as alterhigh demand When they confront the major fied cornstarch, sugar, gelatin, natives to gelatin, but they have enemy spirit, named Gozer, they try to keep and a lot of air. Although most had little luck maintaining the their minds blank so as not to conjure Gozer marshmallow products today do desired qualities, no matter what in any material form. But a benign fictional not contain egg whites, this ingrethe manufacturing process is. icon pops into the head of Raymond Stantz dient is still used to give marshmalFew marshmallows are handmade today. (played by Dan Ackroyd) and materializes low creme its gooey texture. Some products on the city street. To this day, fans of the also have added colors or flavors, including The advent of automated marshmallowmaking helped the sweet gain popularity movie can still quote Stantz's reasoning: "I vanilla, strawberry, and raspberry. tried to think of the most harmless thing... Miang Lim, a senior lecturer in the food in the U.S. in the 1950s. Alex Doumak, a marshmallow manufacturer, introduced an something I lovedfrommy childhood." science department at the University of extrusion process that produced pieces ofthe What materializes is Mr. Stay Puft, a Otago in New Zealand, collaborates with same size and shape. Kraft, which produces skyscraper-tall marshmallow man with a marshmallow researchers at Cadbury Congoofy grin and a tiny blue sailor hat, who fectionery Ltd., Australasia. She says gelatin what it says is America's favorite brand, JetPuffed marshmallows, has maintained its proceeds to topple lampposts and mailforms fluffy foam that maintains its elastic boxes with seismic, lumbering footsteps. It and spongy qualities much longer than fresh recipe and used the extrusion process since 1953, according to company statements. is a memorable manifestation of the sweet egg whites. Marshmallows can also be shaped by and squishy treat. two types of "deposit" processes. One proBack to reality. Winter brings minicess loads marshmallow into starch molds. marshmallows bobbing in hot cocoa and By allowing the marshmallow deposits to complementing sweet potatoes. Spring sit in the molds, the amount of moisture ushers in brightly colored treats shaped in the confections is reduced so that the like chicks and bunnies. In summer, fluffy deposits can, for example, be coated with marshmallows toasted over a barbecue grill chocolate. The other deposit process proand sandwiched between chocolate and duces shaped marshmallows that do not graham crackers are popular treats known require drying in starch. They include as s'mores. Year round, peanut butter and sugar-coated marshmallows with specialmarshmallow creme sandwiches pop up at ized shapes such as the chicks and bunnies lunch tables. mentioned earlier. To generate such shapes, According to the National Confectioners moving nozzles dispense marshmallow onto Association, Americans spend more than a conveyor belt. $125 million annually for upwards of 90 NAKED CHICKS With their bottoms Although marshmallow is a simple food, million lb of marshmallow. The association covered in yellow sugar, these it undergoes changes due to sucrose crystalequates that weight to 1,286 gray whales. marshmallow chicks parade toward a lization, cross-linking of gelatin molecules, Marshmallow originally was derived wind tunnel that will cover the tops of and glassy formation of sucrose and gelatin from the roots of Althaea officinalis, a pink- the candies in the same color. during processing, Lim says. Such changes flowered mallow plant that grows wild in marshes, hence its name. In the Middle As a whipping agent, gelatin binds large are exploited to produce highly crystallized, "grained" marshmallow products, like those Ages, the mucilaginous sap soothed colds amounts of water into marshmallow. The orange-colored circus peanuts that break and sore throats. The ancient Egyptians moisture is key to extending the product's rather than stretch. enjoyed mallow sap with nuts, a gooey treat shelf life, explains Scott Yeager, R&D manager forJust Born, the largest manufacturer Good thing the sugar didn't crystallize they reserved for gods and royalty. of novelty marshmallow products worldand the gelatin didn't cross-link in Mr. Stay In the 1800s, candymakers in France sweetened, whipped, and molded the gum- wide. These products, including marshmal- Puft, or the Big Apple would have had to deal with more than just an exploded, gooey my sap into a more modern marshmallow. low chicks, bunnies, and other shapes, stay fresh for up to 24 months. marshmallow when the Ghostbusters took Its unique texture appealed to many conhim down.-RACHEL PETKEWICH sumers. To keep up with demand, marshGelatin is a mixture of polypeptides. Its
MARSHMALLOW
Gelatin has largely replaced the spongy confection's namesake, a plant-root ingredient
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