The Wonderful World of Gummy Bears: A Deep Dive into their Chemical Makeup and Elasticity

Despite their seeming simplicity, gummy bears house a surprisingly complex universe of macromolecules and interactions which lend them their distinguishing attributes. They are composed of a chain of glucose units --- polysaccharides --- and gelatin proteins which contribute to their signature texture. The simultaneous analysis of their chemical makeup and viscoelastic properties can help unveil the interesting world of food physics and chemistry.

Chemical Ingredients of Gummy Bears

1. Sucrose: Fondly known as table sugar, sucrose plays a pivotal role in gummy bears' sweetness. It is a disaccharide carbohydrate molecule, chemically denoted as C12H22O11. This molecule is formed by glycosidic linkage between glucose (C6H12O6) and fructose (C6H12O6).

2. Gelatin: Gelatin offers structural integrity to the gummy bears. It is derived from collagen protein and manifests a complex, helicoidal configuration, a tripeptide structure with a repeating sequence of residues – glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline.

3. Glucose Syrup (Corn Syrup): This component essentially includes glucose molecules and dextrins — shorter chains of glucose, which help maintain the candy's water content and prevent crystallization.

4. Flavorings and Colorings: These molecules add sensory appeal to the gummy bear formulation, contributing a molecular medley of appealing colors and tastes.

The Material Sciences behind Gummy Bear Elasticity

Gelatin's physical properties underlie the gummy bear's elastic or bouncy nature. The gelatin derives these properties from its parent molecule, collagen, which forms robust, insoluble fibers in the body's extracellular space.

When gelatin is dissolved in hot water and then cooled, physical cross-links between the triple helix structures form, creating a continuous three-dimensional network. This process involves segments of the triple helix reassembling into nucleation sites and growing into fibrils. Along with the encased water and sugar molecules, this network is akin to a microscopic composite material, which provides the gel-like consistency.

Applying the principles of polymer physics, gelatin can be broadly classified as a colloidal gel with viscoelastic properties. Viscoelastic materials exhibit both viscous and elastic behavior when undergoing deformation. On the loading (like a squish or bite), the gelatin network displays elastic behavior reflected by the temporary storage of mechanical energy which partially deforms the gelatin matrix, resulting in a compressive or tensile strain.

Once the causative stress is eradicated, the gel-matrix, behaving like an ideal, Hookean spring, seeks to return to its equilibrium state, releasing the absorbed mechanical energy. This aspect of mechanical memory that it retains even after a strain is central to the gummy bear's bounciness.

The viscoelastic material properties of gelatin combined with the sugar and water matrix enthrallingly demonstrate how everyday items like gummy bears are vibrant intersections of chemistry, physics, and material science. The simple act of biting into a gummy bear sets off a cascade of molecular-level interactions and transformations that hold the secret to the much-loved chewing experience.