White spots on candy

[wilson maple]

Last couple batches of maple candy I've made about half the batch when I take them out of the molds the edges or the face of the candy is white. It seems to be mostly in the beginning of the batch then sometimes will have some when finishing up the batch. I was wondering what I'm doing wrong. I cook the syrup to 242 then let sit for 5-7 minutes before running though candy machine.

[ToadHill]

I dealt with this issue for years. Asked everybody who made candy and nobody had a definitive explanation, just a lot of speculation. Steve Childs with Cornell University did some research on it and the only sure fire solution was to use one of the Sunrise candy/cream machines that has a water jacketed tank for keeping the candy syrup warm while it's mixed with a gear pump. Problem is they're expensive.

[minehart gap]

A previous post by Jake

"White spots you say.... there are a number of variables that can cause this phenomenom. The first is your invert sugar could be a little off for candy making. Also each batch of syrup will have a different invert sugar level. Why is this important? Invert sugar directly effects how much you have to boil the syrup for your candy. The higher the invert sugar the higher you must boil your syrup. Second is the candy is boiled too hard. Have you noticed that your white candy is harder than the rest of your candy???? If so then this candy has been boiled hard than other batches. Over boiling can go right back to invert sugar, but barometric pressure outside and relative humidity in the house also play a significant role in the end boiling point. A third reason for the white is that the candy may not have been mixed evenly or different sections of the candy cooled at different rates. This would cause light and dark spots in the candy. Actually if you enter any candy competitions they should have a section that the judges assess the color of your candy, and if there are light spots in the candy. How do you prevent this from happening???? Well I wish I could tell you an easy fix, but there isn't one. But good for you there is a fix if you are willing to put in the time and dedication. I too had this problenm at one time and now I have pretty much eliminated it. This is what I do. Each batch of syrup from the sugar shanty I test the invert sugar level and mark it right on the drum of syrup so I know what it is just at a glance. This can be done gallon by gallon also. Then I started a chart. I noted the barometric pressure, if it was rising or falling, the invert of the syrup, the grade of syrup, the temp I boiled the syrup too, the temp I started mixing, and the time I took to mix a batch. Now this does take time and dedication, but if you can stick to this routine you'll start noticing a pattern. So I know if the barometiric pressure is 29.5 and rising, my syrup invert is 20, and it's sunny outside I'm boiling to 241.5 letting cool to 171 then stirring for my candy. Now I don't use a machine so it may different for you if you use a machine.....mainly the cooling. I hoping this helps you out.
Jake Moser
Moser's Maple
758 lbs of Molded maple candy last year all done by hand
over 400 lbs sold on ebay (mosersmaple1904)
Award winning Maple Confections
2012 World Maple Festival Grand Champion Maple Syrup"

[minehart gap]

And

"Randy,
You are correct about the barometric pressure. It directly relates to the boiling point of water. What I have for example..... my water boiling point is 210.7 My invert is say...50 off the glucose meter or 1% then I know I can make candy at 242.7, but if I take note that the barometric pressure is 30.0 and rising I know that it going to be a nice day and I can lower my boil temp by 1-1.5 degrees for a softer candy.....the opposite goes for if the pressure is lowering..... i'll have to boil a little harder to maintain the consistancy I'm looking for. You can make candy anytime by just boiling your syup at 242 (unless your invert is completely off the chart), but I've included the rising or falling of barometric pressure to be able to maintain the same consistancy, and quality of candy that is coming out of our molds. Our family is best know for melt in your mouth candy.....(best example I could give would be like a peanut butter cup....has that little snap on the outside, but is really creamy and smooth once it's in your mouth) To get this feature it only takes a small amount if variance to either have a batch that is too hard for our liking, or the opposite and it become too soft where you can smoosh it with your finger.
The syrup I have the most difficulty with is my lower invert sugar syrup.... .4-.6% What I have found is that I boil the syrup too hard and when make the candy it wants to set way too quick or after i take it out of the molds it has a light haze and begins to whiten. This is a tell sign to me that the candyhas been boiled too long for the level of invert sugar. See the lower the invert sugar the larger the crystals and this is what your seeing in the little haze on the candy or the light spots. Syrup I make my best candy with hovers around 1.4%....at times I believe I may slightly under boil because remember as your invert goes up your boiling temp should go up, but many times I'll finish at the same as lower invert and end up with a softer candy.
The last thing I have noticed is that (can't prove by scientific facts)but when the syrup is cooling before stirring if there is a be difference of temps through out the pan (infared therometer) I'll end of with white spots everytime. I can only guess that this is because the cooler syrup is crystallized more than the warmer syrup and during stirring you can't blend the different temps thus creating the spots. I'm no scientist but I have noticed this so take it as fact or crap just my opinion
I hope you find this somewhat helpful, but if you keep track of boiling point, barometric pressure, invert sugars, and pan cooling you find a direct corrolation between them to create a quality candy out of every batch. Some spots may still appear, but that's just the maple candy gods not letting us get to cocky!
Jake Moser
Moser's Maple
758 lbs molded maple candy last year (all by hand)
over 400 lbs sold on ebay (mosersmaple 1904)
Award Winning Maple Confections
2012 World Maple Festival Grand Champion Maple Syrup"