What makes cotton candy melt?

Perhaps you noticed that the cotton candy melts after its preparation. Sugar strands turn into small drops of syrup and drip down. Why does cotton candy melt?
The answer to this question is not simple. There are two important factors which depend on the shelf life of the product. It is humidity and temperature.

Humidity

The air we breathe contains not only oxygen and other substances, but also a small amount of water. It is not liquid water, but water vapor in a gaseous state – so you do not see it in ordinary life. But this steam is visible when the kettle is boiling or when you come to the sauna.

It is this vapor contained in the air that kills the cotton candy. Sugar fibers are very thin and consist of the finest sugar crystals. I want to ask a question: if you omit a sugar cube in coffee – what will happen to it? That’s right, he will dissolve in the water.

The same happens with cotton candy threads – because of the humidity of the air they melt. Sugar fibers absorb moisture – the result is a droplet of syrup.
In some places, humidity is high – near a river or lake, on the beach, before or after a rain/thunderstorm, in winter or in autumn. If you make cotton candy in such conditions, the product will melt very quickly. But most likely you can not prepare a product – conventional devices, for example, Gold Medal Econo Floss, are arranged so that the cotton should be collected from the catcher. Because of the high humidity, for example, on the beach, cotton candy turns out to be so sticky that it cannot be wrapped around the paper cone or packaged in a package.

In other cases, the air is dry – for example, in the desert (Nevada), in clear weather in summer, inside a room with air conditioning. If you work indoors, as a rule, the air conditioner removes excess moisture and the air is dry enough. Therefore, the finished product retains its appearance and quality for several hours.

Nevertheless, many American businessmen do absolutely right – they pack cotton candy in a plastic bag. In this condition, the product can be stored much longer and this is correct from the point of view of the food safety management system. However, you will not believe, there are entire countries in which there is no need to pack a finished product – for example, Mongolia. This country is in the middle of the continent, the air there is so dry that no additional protection is needed – cotton candy does not melt!
Recently I went to Mongolia and visited several cinemas – look at these wonderful photos of the cinema!

By the way, Cretors Ringmaster cotton candy machines are popular in Mongolia.
So, we have analyzed the first important point – humidity.

Temperature

However, there is a second reason – the temperature. I did not know about this earlier, but this autumn in Florida IAPPA was held. I met with general manager Dandy Candy company. It is the leader in the manufacture of ready-made cotton candy in plastic boxes. Mr. Eric said that their factory is in Southern California, where it is very hot. And he noticed – the packaged product loses a little in volume (melts) if the plastic box is in the sun. Candy flosses melt and turn into caramel. Because of this, the finished product may not be such a fluffy.

Here, in Russia, we do not know what is “very hot” – in Moscow the winter lasts 5-6 months. Right now, outside the window, snow, ice, and cold. I must say that Moscow is not the coldest city in Russia. There is also Siberia, where snow may fall even in May.
Therefore, Mr. Eric’s words astonished me, I did not pay attention to the temperature before.

Why does cotton candy melt?

As we have understood, the main reasons are two – the level of air humidity and temperature. Therefore, if you want to sell cotton candy on the beach, where the humidity reaches 98%, you have two options. Make the product in advance indoors with air conditioning – in this case, the air will be dry, so the product can be packed in a bag. Or purchase a device with a vertical filing of candy flosses. Portions will be large and fluffy because, during operation, the air is heated and dried. However, after cooking you have about 10 minutes for sale, because the product will still absorb moisture from the air. Perhaps the best way to organize a business on the beach is to combine: do cotton wool on Robo JetFloss to attract customers’ attention, and sell cotton candy in bags to avoid problems with the melting process.

Good luck!