Coloring hard candy

Color may be added to the candy during cooking. This has the advantage of distributing the color evenly and removing any moisture from it. The disadvantage of adding color during the cooking phase is that the entire batch will be a single color. It is more common to color a single batch of syrup with multiple colors. This can be done by pouring several separate pools of the cooked syrup onto the marble and coloring each pool independently. The colorings used for hard-candy production should not contain acid, which is sometimes used as a preservative. Acid will invert some of the sugar in the solution, resulting in softer, more hygroscopic candy and a reduced shelf life. If the coloring to be used does contain acid, the confectioner can minimize the amount of inversion created by adding the coloring agent after the sugar has been poured onto the cooling table or as close to the end of the cooking phase as possible.