Peanut M&Ms

I've been writing a lot about different drinks and their ingredients, so I decided to start writing about junk food. Now, I shall shine lite on the ingredients of Peanut M&Ms. The ingredients are:


1. Milk Chocolate

Which is:

1. Sugar
2. Chocolate
3. Coca Butter
4. Skim Milk
5. Lactose
6. Milk fat
7. Peanuts
8. Soy Lecithin
9. Salt
10. Artificial Flavors

2. Sugar
3. Peanuts
4. Cornstarch

There is less than one percent of:

1. Corn Syrup
2. Gum Acacia
3. Coloring
4. Dextrin

Now let's see what some of these are (using Wikipedia):

Lactose:

Lactose (also referred to as milk sugar) is a sugar that is found most notably in milk. Lactose makes up around 2–8% of milk (by weight). It is extracted from sweet or sour whey.

Soy Lecithin:

Lecithin is any of a group of yellow-brownish fatty substances occurring in animal and plant tissues, and in egg yolk, composed of phosphoric acid, choline, fatty acids, glycerol, glycolipids, triglycerides, and phospholipids (e.g., phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylinositol). However, lecithin is sometimes used as a synonym for pure phosphatidylcholine, a phospholipid that is the major component of its phosphatide fraction. It may be isolated either from egg yolk (in Greek lekithos—λέκιθος) or from soy beans, from which it is extracted chemically (using hexane) or mechanically.

It has low solubility in water.

Lecithin is sold as a food supplement and for medical uses. In cooking, it is sometimes used as an emulsifier.

A proven benefit and suggested use is for those taking niacin to treat high cholesterol. Niacin treatment can deplete choline, necessitating an increased amount of lecithin or choline in the diet.

There is evidence to suggest that lecithin itself can lower cholesterol.

Egg-derived lecithin may be a concern for those following some specialized diets. Egg lecithin is not a concern for those on low-cholesterol diets (because the lecithin found in eggs markedly inhibits the absorption of the cholesterol contained in eggs).^[7] There is no general agreement among vegetarians concerning egg-derived lecithin; since it is animal-derived, Jains and vegans choose not to consume it.

Gum Acacia:

Gum arabic, also known as gum acacia, chaar gund or char goond, is a natural gum made of hardened sap taken from two species of the acacia tree; Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal. The gum is harvested commercially from wild trees throughout the Sahel from Senegal and Sudan to Somalia, although it has been historically cultivated in Arabia and West Asia. Gum arabic is a complex mixture of polysaccharides and glycoproteins that is used primarily in the food industry as a stabilizer. It is perfectly edible and has E number E414. Gum arabic is a key ingredient in traditional lithography and is used in printing, paint production, glue, cosmetics and various industrial applications, including viscosity control in inks and in textile industries, although cheaper materials compete with it for many of these roles.It is an important ingredient in shoe polish, and can be used in making homemade incense cones. It is also used as a lickable adhesive, for example on postage stamps and cigarette papers. Printers employ it to stop oxidation of aluminium printing plates in the interval between processing of the plate and its use on a printing press
Gum arabic is also used as a water soluble binder in firework composition.

Dextrin:

Dextrins are a group of low-molecular-weight carbohydrates produced by the hydrolysis of starch. Dextrins are mixtures of linear α-(1,4)-linked D-glucose polymers starting with an α-(1,6) bond.

Digestion of starch starts in mouth by the salivary alpha amylase to maltose gives intermediate products as dextrins which, according their colour with iodine, can be called erythrodextrin (dextrin that colours red) and achrodextrin (giving no colour).

During malting and mashing process of the grain also dextrins are produced during the fermentation of starch. Dextrins are also formed on the surface of bread during the baking process and contribute to the flavour and colour and crispness.

Industrial production is roasting starch powder under more or less acidic conditions causing hydrolysis and rebranching of the starch molecule. These type of dextrins are also called pyrodextrins. White and yellow dextrins are partially or fully water-soluble low viscous powders that are optically active. Under analysis, dextrins can be detected with iodine solution, giving a red coloration. Starch roasted with little or no acid is called british gum.

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