SKITTLES LOSING THEIR COLOR IN WATER
Grace Seidel
Cary Academy
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to test how long it took for the outer color layer of a skittle to dissolve in
different types of water and different kinds of water. A man named Brian Egenriether created the
skittle color sorter that helps people get whatever color they want without having to pick
through a bag of skittles. In this experiment different color of skittles were placed in
water or other types of liquid until the outer layer of color dissolved. The data that was
collected showed, that the warmer the water the less time it took for the outer color layer
of a skittle to dissolve. The results were that way because warm water tends to heat up
sugar and make it disappear; the oute r color layer of a skittle is mostly made up of a
skittle.
INTRODUCTION
There was a paper done similar to mine; the person who did it is named Kelly Bright. She now an 8 th
grader, which means this project, was done two years ago. Her experiment was meant tested how
long an M&M could stay not melted in a mouth. She did many different experiments, but three of them
were really unique and interesting. The first one is, she put M&M’s in someone’s mouth and tested
how long it took for the M&M’s to melt. The second one is she also tested if the different color
effected how long it took for the M&M’s to melt. And the last one she did is, she tested is if how much
weight would come off M&M’s if they were put in vinegar and dried for 24 hours.
Inside skittles there are many different things. Here are some of the overall ingredients. The inside is
mainly sugar, corn syrup, and hydrogenated palm kernel oilalong with fruit juice, citric acid,
and natural and artificial flavors. Although, this candy does provide a good source of vitamin C. all of
the different types of skittles have different ingredients. Here are three l kinds and there ingredient’s.
ORIGINAL: SUGAR, CORN SYRUP, hydrogenated palm kernel oil, apple juice from concentrate, less
than 2% - citric acid, dextrin, modified corn starch, natural and artificial flavors, coloring, ascorbic acid
(vitamin c). Wild berry skittles: sugar, corn syrup, hydrogenated palm kernel oil, fruit juice from
concentrate (strawberry, cherry, raspberry, grape, blackberry), less than 2% - citric acid, dextrin,
modified corn starch, artificial and natural flavors, coloring, ascorbic acid (vitamin c). Product is not
kosher. Tropical: sugar, corn syrup, hydrogenated palm kernel oil, apple juice from concentrate, less
than 2% - citric acid, dextrin, modified corn starch, coloring, artificial and natural flavors, ascorbic acid
(vitamin c). Product is not kosher. It is not that hard to make skittles. Here is what was done, Once
the center is complete, these small bite size centers are tumbled and coated with a flavored sugar
shell, this process is called panning. Then these shells are then polished and blended, and then the
infamous “s” is printed on each of the Skittles until finally it is packed and made ready for sale. The
original Skittles product comes in 5 different fruit flavors that include strawberry, lemon, orange, lime
and grape. The last thing is that skittles have a cool way of dispensing themselves; it is called the
Skittles Sorting Machine! Electrical engineer Brian Egenriether designed a machine to sort
Skittles. Brian Egenriether told of his Skittles Sorting Machine about 4 years ago, but
only took the time and, he estimates, about $300 to build it over the course of 5 or so
weekends in the last year. The sorter works by putting a bag of skittles in the machine.
Then when the on switch is clicked it starts to work. The machine has a light that will
detect what color the skittle is. Once that is done the skittles go into the tube that shoots
in it into the correct bowl with the correct color. The machine is like a robot because it
has to figure out the color without any human help. Today people love it and buy it all the
time so they can just eat what color skittle th ey want!
When things dissolve it means that they go from big particle to smaller and smaller
particles. In more technical terms is that a substance breaks apart into smaller and smaller
particles and spreads out evenly thought the solvent. Some materials such as sugar, salt, four and
even dirt are connected together, when heated with so on, the connections are broken apart between
two or multiple different molecules, that means that the material breaks up and disappears. Every
material in the world has connections of some sort. But every material in the world can also be
broken. Some materials such as iron or silver and other kinds of metals or tough materials have much
thicker connections that are harder to break apart, so they are harder to dissolve. Anything can
dissolve it just depends on how it is made dissolve. Some things may dissolve faster than others
because they are smaller or less dense. More than just solids can dissolve. They can dissolve faster
when things are heated instead of cold things. They can dissolve faster it is stirred or shaken it
because it causes it to separate and move away from the other particles more quickly. And the third
fastest way to make things dissolve is crushing things which makes them automatically dissolve in
whatever is put it in. An example of dissolving is how sugar can dissolve in water. When sugar
dissolves in water, new bonds between sugar and water are created. During this process energy is
given off. The amount of this energy is sufficient to break bonds between molecules of sugar and
between molecules of water. This example is relevant to any solute and solvent. If the bonds between
solvent or solute are to strong and there is not enough energy provided while dissolving to brake
them, the solute will not dissolve. Candy can dissolve more quickly in your mouth if it is chewed and
stirred around in your mouth. When you open a can of soda the air that is squeeze inside of it
dissolves into the air and the pressure inside if it drops. But when the acid dissolves it forms water
bubbles and that gives the soda a good and refreshing.
The only way something can be tasted is if it is on a taste bud. The different parts of the taste bud
are, the two sides are sourness, the very end is saltness, the far back it bitterness, and the middle is
sweetness. Each part will test how much of one part in food there is. Each part has a different part to
test what it tastes like. If one part of the tongue does not work very well then you may not be able to
test what that part tastes like. Each taste bud has nerve fibers and a sensory cell. The sense of taste
is very important so you know when food has gone bad or if a plant if poisoned. They can only
recognize 4 different types of taste. When someone looks in the mirror there are large things on your
tongue, they are called papilla. The papilla varies in size and color (depends on what color the food
that is eaten. Each papilla contains 100-200 taste buds. There are little papilla that have touch
receptors. When something’s gets on the tongue they send nerve signals quickly to the brain to
create the experience of a taste. This process has to happen very quickly or you will not be able to
taste thing as fast. Also if only a little food is eaten then the signal will be so small that there will be no
taste. To keep the food in place the tongue is covered with tiny bumps called papillae. It gives it a
rough texture. Taste buds are important because they are the only way you can taste things with the
acceptation of your nose. Some people think that without your nose nothing can be tasted. But
studies have shown that without your nose stuff can still be tasted. In the past years this experiment
has been done by many people.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In this experiment red purple green yellow orange skittles, a scale, beakers, water, club soda, ginger
ale, volunteers, timer, cups, and a thermometer were used to complete this experiment.
For the first experiment green skittles losing their color in different temperatures of water was tested.
The cold water was 20 degrees c, in the room temperature water it was 23 degrees c, and in the hot
water it was 24 degrees c. the green skittles were placed in the water for however long it took for the
pouter layer to dissolve. When the outer layer was white and dissolved it was taken out. Each
temperature of water was filed up to 20 mL. Then the time it took for it to dissolve was recorded. Each
temperature of water was repeated 3 times to fin the average.
For the second experiment different colors of skittles were put into cold water which was filled up to
20 mL. This experiment tested if the different color of skittle effected how long it took for the outer
color layer to dissolve. Each skittle was placed on cold water until the outer layer was dissolved. Each
color was repeated three times. When each skittle had been repeated three times the average would
be found.
For the third experiment green skittles in different types of liquids were tested. Green skittles were
placed in club soda, ginger ale, and room temperature water. Each kind of water was filled up to 20
mL. Each skittle was placed in the type of liquid three times. When the outer coo layer was goner it
was taken out and the time was recorded.
For the fourth experiment the amount of weight lost if a skittle was placed in a mouth for 15 sec. First
each skittle was weighed to see what the before weight was. Then each skittle was placed in
someone’s mouth for 15 sec. each skittle repeated three times. When the skittles was spit out they
were dried off. Then they were placed on the scale to see what the new weight was. When they two
weights were found an average was found. That average was subtracted by the original weight to
determine what the total amount of weight lost was.
For the fifth experiment skittles were placed in a mouth for 30 sec. Each skittle was weighed for the
original amount. Then the skittle was placed in someone’s mouth for 30 sec. when it was taken out it
was dried off and put on the scale again to determine the new weight. This happened three times for
each skittle. When the skittle had three new weights the average was found. Last the average
subtracted by the original number to get the total amount of weight lost.
For the sixth experiment a green skittle was placed in someone’s mouth for 15 sec, 30 sec, 45 sec,
and 1 min. Each green skittle was weighed in the beginning to determine the original weight. Then the
skittles were placed in someone’s mouth for the different amounts of times. Each skittle was dried off
and weighed. Then each time was repeated three times and an average was found. The average was
subtracted by the original number to find the total amount of weight lost.
For the seventh experiment the different amounts of time it took to chew was tested. Each skittle was
placed in someone’s mouth. Each skittle was timed to determine how long it took for someone to
chew a skittle. When the skittle was chewed the time it took was recorded. When each color of a
skittle was dome three times an average was found.
For the eighth experiment how long it took to chew a skittle that had been I the freezer for 1, 2, and 3
min. Each skittle was placed in a cup which was placed in a freezer for a dedicated time. When the
skittle came out it was chewed immediately to determine the time it took to chew. Each time it was
repeated 3 times. Each time the time it took to chew was recorded. Then an average was found.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Time it Took for the Outer Layer to
Dissolve (min)
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
15
17
19
21
23
25
27
Temperature of Water (c)
Figure 1 How the Temperature of Water Effects How Long It Takes For The Outer Layer of a Skittle To Dissolve.
The answer to the Based on the graph above the hotter the water was the less amount of time it
takes for the outer layer of a skittle to dissolve. The reason this happened was because hot water
Time it took to Dissolve in Cold Water
(min)
tends to make sugar dissolve faster. That was because hot water tends to make the molecules
spread out and that makes them dissolve faster. Also in hot water it makes the sugar dissolve and
melt. On the other hand with cold water the molecules stay together and that makes them harder to
dissolve. Besides that it also makes the sugar freeze and that makes it harder to melt and dissolve.
The room temperature water was in the middle because it was a mix of hot and cold water.
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
red
green
yellow
orange
purple
Color
Figure 2 The Time it took for Different Colors of Skittles to Dissolve in Cold Water.
Based on the graph above the red one took the longest to dissolve and the green one took the least
amount of time to dissolve. The reason for that was that the food coloring in each one may be
different and that may cause a slight difference in how fast it can dissolve its outer color layer. That
means that red could be the slowest because its food coloring may have something that all of the
other food colorings may not have and that green may have something in it that all of the other food
colorings don’t have. Another reason may be that the thickness of the outer layer make be different
and that may be why the outer layers took different amounts of time to dissolve. Maybe red had been
in the machine longer than all of the other ones and the green one had been in the machine for less
time than all of the other ones.
Time it took for the Outer Layer to
Dissolve. (min)
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Club Soda
Ginger Ale
Salt Water
Room Tempature
Water
Type of Liquid
Figure 3 How Long Does it Take For Green Skittles to Dissolve in Different Types of Liquid.
Based on the graph above the liquid that takes the longest to dissolve was ginger ale and the liquid
that takes the least amount of time to dissolve was salt water. The reason that makes sense is
because the salt can dissolve sugar. The reason that ginger ale has to dissolve skittles the slowest
was because of the carbonation and the flavorings mixed together.
0.09
Weight of Skittle (mg)
0.08
0.07
0.06
0.05
0.04
0.03
0.02
0.01
0
Red
Yellow
Green
Orange
Purple
Color of Skittle
Figure 4 The Weight Difference Between the Original Weight of The Skittle and When It Was Placed in Someone’s Mouth for 15 Sec.
Based on figure four the yellow skittle was the heaviest after being sucked on for 15 sec. The orange
and purple skittles were the least amount of weight after being sucked on for 15 sec. The reason that
is possible is because the people who sucked it could have sucked it different harnesses and that
would cause the yellow one to be the most amount of weight. The reason that the orange and the
purple one could be the same is because the skittles could have been the same weight in the
beginning and when they were sucked on they were sucked on the same amount of harnesses.
0.35
Weight lost (mg)
0.3
0.25
0.2
0.15
0.1
0.05
0
Red
Yellow
Orange
Green
Purple
Color of Skittle
Figure 5 The Weight Difference for Skittle That Were Placed in Someone’s Mouth for 30 Sec.
Based on the figure below the green and purple lost the most weight and orange did not lose any
weight. The reason that makes sense is because the red, yellow, green, and orange were all made at
the same time. When they were used they were roughly the same due to when they were made. The
reason that orange was so low maybe because it was old and the shell was dried out.
0.7
0.6
Weight Lost (mg)
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
Time in Mouth (sec)
Figure 6 The Weight Lost When a Skittle Was Sucked on for 15 Sec, 30 Sec, 45 Sec, and 1 Min.
The results are that the longer the skittle was in the mouth the more weight that was dissolved. That
makes sense because the outer color layer of a skittle has to dissolve. When it was in a mouth for
less time it will take longer because it talks a while for the molecules to go inside the water/saliva
molecules. So when it was in the mouth for longer it has more time to dissolve and for its molecules
to be put into the water/saliva molecules.
45
40
35
Time it Took to Chew
(sec)
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
red
yellow
orange
green
purple
Color of skittle
Figure 7 How Long It Took to Chew Different Colors of Skittles.
In this experiment orange took the longest to dissolve and yellow took the least amount of time to
dissolve. The reason this makes sense is because orange could have been old and harder than the
other skittles. That causes it to be harder to chew. The reason that yellow took the least amount of
time may be because it was the newest and was not old at all. That makes it easier to chew.
27.5
Time it Took To Chew (sec)
27
26.5
26
25.5
25
24.5
24
23.5
23
22.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
Time Was in Freezer (min)
Figure 8 Time it Took to Chew Skittle That Were in the Freezer for Different Amounts of Time.
Based in the graph above the longer the skittle was in the freezer the longer it took to chew the skittle.
The reason that makes sense is because the less amount of time a skittle were in the freezer the loss
time the skittle has to dissolve. When it is in the freezer it has longer to freeze. The molecules inside
a skittle have to freeze and that takes time. Therefore it will be harder and take longer to chew if the
molecule inside a skittle has a longer amount of time to freeze.
CONCLUSION
Most of the findings were surprising and was not expected, like the answer to the second experiment
was that red was the one that took the longest to dissolve; the answer that was thought of was that all
of them would be the same or close to the same. The data that was found is important to share with
the world because it shows that not all of the skittles are equal and some may be bigger, or smaller
than others. The hypothesis was incorrect because the answer was that not all of the skittles were
equal and the hypothesis was that all of the skittles would be equal of almost equal. Some follow up
experiments that could be done is every color skittle could be placed in a freezer overnight and that
could test how long it took for different colored skittles to be chewed.
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