by 
The Curious Bag
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Gummy bears are made of some basic ingredients. However, the addition of flavors, food coloring and vitamins, and the substitution of vegetarian ingredients, produce many varieties of the popular candy.
Gelatin
Gelatin is the ingredient that solidifies and gives gummy bears their shape. Most of the gelatin used in gummy bears is made from beef or pork.
Sugars
Both refined sugar and glucose syrup sweeten gummy bear candy. Glucose syrup is made from cornstarch. Sugar-free gummy bears are available; they are sweetened with maltitol syrup, a sugar substitute.
Wax
The addition of beeswax makes gummy bears nice and shiny and helps prevent them from sticking together.
Additives
Food coloring gives gummy bears their rainbow shades. Fruit flavors enhance their taste, and citric acid is added as a preservative.
Vegetarian Gummy Bears
Vegetarian gummy bears use pectin instead of gelatin because pectin is made from apples or citrus fruits. Carnauba wax rather than beeswax is added to provide shine, because it comes from a palm tree.
Vitamins
Gummy bear vitamins are a popular way to add supplements to children's diets. They are just like regular gummy bears except that multivitamins have been added.
Source:
National Confectioners Association
U.S. National Library of Medicine
Resource:
Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy
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