{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.hard-candy","code":"thing-q17116096","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q17116096/","name":"hard candy","alternateNames":["barley sugar","bulls-eye","Aniseed twist","Apple drops","troach drop","Humbug","stick candy","ZotZ","Bayrisch Blockmalz","Lemon stick"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.1.0-research.1","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.MAT"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"Hard candy is a confection with a predominantly amorphous, glassy matrix of sugars or sugar alcohols, produced by concentrating a syrup and cooling it to form a rigid, brittle solid.","purpose":"Enable an agent to recognise hard candy, assess its physical and edible condition, and determine suitable handling, storage and use.","scope":{"in":["Sugar-based and sugar-free hard-candy matrices","Plain, flavoured, coloured and filled variants with a hard-candy body or shell","Moisture, glass transition, crystallisation and their effects on texture","Cooking, forming and cooling history relevant to the finished candy","Piece geometry, surface condition and packaging interactions","Ingredient identity, intended consumption and product-specific suitability constraints"],"out":["Standalone chemical models for sugars, polyols, acids, colours and flavourings","Chewy sweets, gummies, fudge and predominantly crystalline compressed sweets","Detailed design and operation of confectionery manufacturing equipment","Independent models of wrappers, containers and packaging materials","Medical diagnosis, dietary treatment and therapeutic efficacy","Retail business operations and brand ownership"],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["The defining candy body or shell is rigid and fractures rather than stretching or compressing like a gummy or chewy sweet at its stated use temperature.","The defining matrix is predominantly glassy rather than a compacted powder or an intentionally crystalline mass; appearance alone does not establish this distinction.","A lollipop belongs here when its edible body meets the hard-candy tests; the stick describes presentation rather than a different confection matrix.","A filled piece qualifies through its hard shell even when its centre is liquid, powdery or chewy; the shell and centre must be described separately.","Sugar-free composition does not exclude a piece when its sweetener matrix has the defining hard-candy structure and behaviour."],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"hard-candy-identity","name":"Hard-candy identity","description":"Establishes which part of the confection makes it hard candy and where neighbouring confection categories begin.","layers":[{"id":"defining-matrix","name":"Defining matrix","description":"Identifies the structural basis of the hard-candy classification.","findings":[{"id":"glassy-body-identification","name":"Glassy body identification","description":"Record evidence that the defining body is a predominantly glassy sweetener matrix, including the conditions under which it is hard.","questions":[{"text":"Which structural and texture observations establish this piece as hard candy?","id":"glassy-body-identification-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"What distinguishes this matrix from a compressed tablet, crystalline sweet or chewy confection?","id":"glassy-body-identification-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"piece-architecture","name":"Piece architecture","description":"Separates the hard-candy region from fillings, coatings and supports.","findings":[{"id":"shell-centre-and-support","name":"Shell, centre and support","description":"Describe solid or composite construction without attributing a filling's properties to the shell or treating a stick as part of the edible matrix.","questions":[{"text":"Is the defining matrix the whole piece, a shell or one layer of a composite confection?","id":"shell-centre-and-support-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which fillings, coatings or supports require linked descriptions beyond the hard-candy matrix?","id":"shell-centre-and-support-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"sweetener-and-additive-formulation","name":"Sweetener and additive formulation","description":"Records the actual mixture responsible for the candy's structure, flavour and declared identity.","layers":[{"id":"matrix-ingredients","name":"Matrix ingredients","description":"Characterises the sweeteners and water in the defining matrix.","findings":[{"id":"sweetener-system","name":"Sweetener system","description":"Identify the sugars, syrups or polyols and distinguish initial recipe proportions from finished-product composition.","questions":[{"text":"Which sweeteners form the matrix, and what are their proportions on a clearly stated basis?","id":"sweetener-system-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which formulation or supplier records establish these ingredients and their relevant grades?","id":"sweetener-system-q02","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"flavour-colour-and-inclusions","name":"Flavour, colour and inclusions","description":"Describes additions and their location within the confection.","findings":[{"id":"additive-location-and-function","name":"Additive location and function","description":"Record acids, flavours, colours and inclusions by function and region, including uncertainties about their effect on the matrix.","questions":[{"text":"Which additions occur in the matrix, on its surface or in its filling, and what function is intended for each?","id":"additive-location-and-function-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"What records support the identity and quantity of additions relevant to this product's declared use?","id":"additive-location-and-function-q02","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"glass-moisture-and-texture","name":"Glass, moisture and texture","description":"Connects water, temperature and structural change to the condition of the candy.","layers":[{"id":"water-and-thermal-state","name":"Water and thermal state","description":"Assesses the matrix under specified environmental and measurement conditions.","findings":[{"id":"glass-state-under-use-conditions","name":"Glass state under use conditions","description":"Record water content, water activity and glass-transition evidence separately, with the temperature and region each result represents.","questions":[{"text":"What are the measured water content and water activity of the shell or body at the stated temperature?","id":"glass-state-under-use-conditions-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"How does the measured glass transition relate to intended storage and use temperatures?","id":"glass-state-under-use-conditions-q02","kind":"measurement"}]}]},{"id":"texture-and-structural-change","name":"Texture and structural change","description":"Identifies fracture behaviour and changes such as graining or surface tack.","findings":[{"id":"texture-condition-evidence","name":"Texture condition evidence","description":"Distinguish measured or observed defects from inferred causes; cloudiness alone should not be treated as proof of crystallisation.","questions":[{"text":"What observations or tests distinguish crystallisation, surface moisture, trapped air and intentional opacity in this candy?","id":"texture-condition-evidence-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which documented texture criteria determine whether a tacky, cracked or grained batch is acceptable for its intended use?","id":"texture-condition-evidence-q02","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"formation-and-preservation","name":"Formation and preservation","description":"Captures manufacturing and storage history that explains the finished matrix and its stability.","layers":[{"id":"cooking-and-forming-history","name":"Cooking and forming history","description":"Records process evidence relevant to residual water, matrix structure and piece integrity.","findings":[{"id":"matrix-formation-record","name":"Matrix formation record","description":"Capture concentration endpoints, pressure where relevant, addition timing, forming and cooling history without assuming a universal cooking temperature.","questions":[{"text":"Which recorded cooking endpoint and pressure conditions establish how the matrix was concentrated?","id":"matrix-formation-record-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"What forming and cooling history could explain observed cracks, bubbles or structural variation?","id":"matrix-formation-record-q02","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"package-and-exposure","name":"Package and exposure","description":"Assesses protection from environmental moisture and interactions within composite pieces.","findings":[{"id":"moisture-exchange-control","name":"Moisture exchange control","description":"Link package performance, opening history and shell-filling moisture exchange to demonstrated storage behaviour.","questions":[{"text":"What temperature, humidity and package conditions were used to establish the claimed storage life?","id":"moisture-exchange-control-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"What evidence supports the chosen wrapper or container for preventing unacceptable tack, fusion or shell deterioration?","id":"moisture-exchange-control-q02","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"consumption-and-release","name":"Consumption and release","description":"Relates piece presentation and ingredient evidence to intended consumption and product disposition.","layers":[{"id":"piece-presentation","name":"Piece presentation","description":"Describes geometry, supports and intended mode of consumption.","findings":[{"id":"geometry-and-consumption-mode","name":"Geometry and consumption mode","description":"Record piece dimensions, shape, exposed edges and any stick attachment alongside the intended consumer and consumption instructions.","questions":[{"text":"What are the piece dimensions, shape and support arrangement, including any changes caused by breakage?","id":"geometry-and-consumption-mode-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"What product-specific evidence and instructions establish suitability of this presentation for its intended consumers?","id":"geometry-and-consumption-mode-q02","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"declarations-and-disposition","name":"Declarations and disposition","description":"Connects formulation and condition evidence to release, holding or further assessment.","findings":[{"id":"supported-use-decision","name":"Supported use decision","description":"Assess ingredient declarations, relevant consumer information and batch condition against identified requirements; distinguish ordinary confectionery use from medicinal claims.","questions":[{"text":"Which records substantiate ingredient, allergen and sugar-free declarations where they are made?","id":"supported-use-decision-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which documented acceptance criteria and applicable requirements support release, holding or further assessment of this batch?","id":"supported-use-decision-q02","kind":"action"},{"text":"Does the intended use introduce a medicinal claim requiring a linked product model?","id":"supported-use-decision-q03","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"evidence-and-external-alignment","name":"Evidence and external alignment","description":"What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.","layers":[{"id":"reported-evidence","name":"Reported evidence","description":"Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.","findings":[{"id":"evidence-confidence-notes","name":"Check these first","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these check these first hold for the sense of hard candy this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-confidence-notes-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-kinds","name":"Kinds and varieties","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of hard candy this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-kinds-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-standards-and-regulation","name":"Standards and regulation","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of hard candy this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-standards-and-regulation-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-real-world-use","name":"Real-world use","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of hard candy this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-real-world-use-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-measurements","name":"Typical measurements","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of hard candy this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-measurements-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards","name":"Failure modes and hazards","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of hard candy this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-regional-variation","name":"Regional variation","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of hard candy this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-regional-variation-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-neighbours","name":"Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of hard candy this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-neighbours-q01","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Make, package and label hard candy following food hygiene and labelling rules.","Report ingredients, allergens and sugar alcohol content."],"mustNot":["Give small hard candies to young children who can choke on them.","Hide sugar or sugar alcohol content that matters to people with diabetes or digestive conditions.","Package candy so it looks like medicine, or medicine so it looks like candy.","Handle molten sugar syrup near people without burn protection."],"requiresHuman":["Supplying candy in schools or care homes."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Sweets are marketed to children, raising questions of dental health and fair advertising."],"affectedParties":["Children","Consumers with diabetes","Confectionery workers"]},"owners":{"steward":"The manufacturer or seller.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q17119302","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.hard-candy","Wikidata: Q17116096 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q17116096)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["Confection architecture: solid piece | filled shell | layered piece | other declared architecture","Sweetener formulation: Named sugars, syrups and polyols, with mass fractions where known","Water content: % by mass, with method and sampled region","Water activity: Dimensionless aw, with measurement temperature and sampled region","Glass-transition temperature: °C, with method, water content and transition-reporting convention","Matrix structural condition: predominantly glassy | partly crystallised | extensively crystallised | undetermined","Fracture response: Breaking force in N under a specified fixture, loading rate, piece geometry and temperature","Surface and piece condition: dry | tacky | fused | cracked | chipped | visibly altered; multiple values allowed","Piece geometry: Mass in g; dimensions and shell thickness in mm where applicable","Storage exposure: Temperature in °C, relative humidity in %, duration and package-open state","Ingredient and label evidence: Links to formulation records, supplier specifications, package declarations and applicable product requirements"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["Hard, glassy, often translucent pieces that break with sharp edges.","Usually wrapped individually.","Smooth surface that becomes sticky in humid air."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["Classify a confection by its defining matrix and separate hard-candy shell properties from filling properties.","Compare formulations against documented texture and storage requirements.","Inspect and measure a batch for tackiness, crystallisation, cracking and variation in piece geometry.","Select storage and packaging conditions using formulation-specific evidence.","Trace a texture defect to plausible cooking, cooling or moisture-exposure causes for investigation.","Check whether the ingredient declarations and physical presentation support a proposed use."]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Choking in young children.","Burns from hot syrup during making.","Tooth decay from frequent use."]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods, CXS 1-1985, issued by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, covers labeling of prepackaged hard candy.","General Standard for Food Additives, CXS 192-1995, issued by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, includes provisions for additives in confectionery categories relevant to hard candy.","General Principles of Food Hygiene, CXC 1-1969, issued by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, applies to hygienic production and handling of hard candy."]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Hard candy is consumed as a confection and sold as individual pieces, wrapped sweets or lollipops.","Its manufacture and storage depend on maintaining a glassy sugar matrix and limiting moisture uptake that can cause stickiness or loss of texture."]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q17116096: hard candy","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q17116096","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Hard candy","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_candy","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Which authoritative confectionery definitions best establish the boundary between hard candy, partly crystalline boiled sweets and hard medicinal lozenges?","What formulation-specific water-content, glass-transition and texture ranges are supported by measurements for representative sugar-based and sugar-free variants?","Which validated tests distinguish crystallisation from other causes of opacity and provide comparable fracture results across different piece geometries?","How should shell-filling moisture migration and package moisture transmission be combined when assessing storage life for filled hard candies?","Which jurisdiction-specific ingredient declarations, consumer instructions and presentation requirements apply to the particular product being modelled?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q17116096/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q17116096/spec.json"],"providers":["Codex"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-12T10:12:03Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:26+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}