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[[Image:Skittles-Louisiana-2003.jpg|thumb|250px|Skittles sweets.]]
[[Image:Skittles-Louisiana-2003.jpg|thumb|250px|Skittles sweets.]]
'''Skittles''' are small, oval, chewy fruit candies. They have hard sugar shells which carry the letter ''S''. The inside is mainly [[sugar]] and [[hydrogenation|hydrogenated]] [[vegetable oil]] along with [[fruit juice]], [[citric acid]] and [[Flavor#Regulations_on_natural_flavoring|natural]] and [[artificial flavors]].
'''Skittles''' are small, oval, chewy fruit candies. They have hard sugar shells which carry the letter ''S''. The inside is mainly [[sugar]] and [[hydrogenation|hydrogenated]] [[vegetable oil]] along with [[fruit juice]], [[citric acid]] and [[Flavor#Regulations_on_natural_flavoring|natural]] and [[artificial flavors]].
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==Varieties==
==Varieties==
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{{Anchors|Original Fruit Skittles (red package)|Sour Skittles (for these, the letters are gray) (green package)|Tropical Skittles (light blue package)|Wild Berry Skittles (purple package)|Crazy Cores[10] (orange package)}}
{{Anchors|Original Fruit Skittles (red package)|Sour Skittles (for these, the letters are gray) (green package)|Tropical Skittles (light blue package)|Wild Berry Skittles (purple package)|Crazy Cores[10] (orange package)}}


Revision as of 00:45, 3 March 2009

Skittles sweets.

Skittles are small, oval, chewy fruit candies. They have hard sugar shells which carry the letter S. The inside is mainly sugar and hydrogenated vegetable oil along with fruit juice, citric acid and natural and artificial flavors.

Skittles are produced by Masterfoods, a division of Mars, Incorporated. They were made beginning in 1973 by a company in England. In 1982 production of Skittles began in the United States.[1][2] Skittles sold in the United Kingdom are made in the Czech Republic, where Mars Incorporated makes them for export to many European Union markets. The company also produces the product in Victoria, Australia, for distribution in the Australian and New Zealand markets.

The S insignia was originally a very dark shade of purple, appearing to be almost black, but was changed to white in 1989. Skittles with the white S insignia are similar in outward appearance to plain chocolate M&M's, another Masterfoods product. The original colours of Skittles were red, green, purple, orange and yellow. Many other flavours and colours have since been added. There are an average of 42 Skittles in a standard bag.[3]

Ingredients and properties

In the United States, a bag of Skittles candy contains: sugar, corn syrup, gelatin, hydrogenated palm kernel oil, apple juice from concentrate, less than 2% - Dextrin, Gelatin, natural and artificial flavours, Citric Acid, food starch-modified, coloring (includes Yellow 6 lake, Red 40 lake, Yellow 5 lake, Blue 2 lake, Blue 1 lake, Yellow 5, Red 40, Yellow 6, Blue 1), Ascorbic Acid(Vitamin C).

In Europe, a bag of Skittles candies contains:salt, glucose syrup, gelatin, fruit juices (5.1%), hydrogenated vegetable fat, citric acid & trisodium citrate, dextrin, maltodextrin, flavorings & colorings (E100, E120, E132, E160e, E171), glazing agent shellac, vegetable oil, ascorbic acid and emulsifier (E475).

The American formula, which includes Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil, has resulted in a skittle with an indefinite shelf life but possess a crunch and texture many people find less appealing. Fat content is also significantly higher.

A recent statistical analysis measured the mass of one Skittle to be 1066 ± 8 mg (N = 10, ± s.e.m.), or 0.0376 ± 0.0003 U.S. ounces.[4]

Dietary restrictions

Skittles are not vegetarian, kosher, or halal in the USA or Europe. In the USA they contain gelatin. In the mid-2000s, Skittles in the USA began using hydrogenated palm kernel oil in the recipe, increasing shelf life as well as fat content.

In Europe, despite containing no gelatin, Skittles contain the colouring E120, which is derived from cochineal insects, and the glazing agent shellac, which are produced from insects and forbidden in both kosher and halal dietary laws.

Skittles are not certified halal by any halal certification authority, and Skittles are not kosher certified[5] in North America, and are not kosher in the UK either, as the London Beth Din published in November 2007 on their alerts page that "Skittles previously approved and parev are now Not Kosher."[6] Recently in Canada there have been some packages of Skittles that were mistakenly labeled as Kosher, but are not.[7]

Varieties

Skittles come in a wide variety of flavors and varieties. Some of these varieties are only released for a limited time; others are available only in particular regions of the world.

Variety Package color Flavors Notes
Original Fruit Skittles Red Lemon (yellow), Lime (green), Orange (orange), Strawberry (red), Grape (purple) Outside the United States, Grape (purple) is replaced with Blackcurrant[3] Green apple replaced lime in the USA as well for a short while in 2001 as a promotional sweepstakes for consumers to decide on replacing lime with apple, the latter eventually lost out.[8] They were the first Skittles ever made in the United States. [citation needed]
Tropical Skittles Light blue Mango Tangelo (orange) (a.k.a Mango Peach), Kiwi Lime (green), Strawberry Starfruit (pink), Banana Berry (yellow), Pineapple Passion fruit (blue) In 1989, Tropical Skittles were introduced.[3] Tropical is a mix of exotic tropical flavors, with more than one flavor typically combined into one skittle. The product is sold in either light blue bags or boxes; originally, they came in red-orange bags or boxes.[9]
Wild Berry Skittles Purple Raspberry (blue), Wild Cherry (red), Strawberry (pink), Berry Punch (violet), Melon Berry (green) In 1990,[1][3] Wild Berry Skittles were introduced. Wild Berry is a mix of exotic berry flavouring and the product is sold in either purple bags or boxes.[9]
Crazy Cores Orange Mango Peach (peach with orange core), Cherry Lemonade (red with yellow core), Strawberry Watermelon (green with pink core), Melon Berry (pink with green core), Blue Raspberry Lemon (blue with yellow core) Skittles Crazy Cores were introduced in 2008.[10] Crazy Cores have two fruit flavors in each piece. The shell is one flavor and the core is another. Skittles Crazy Cores are gluten-free and gelatin-free.
Tart-n-Tangy Skittles Bright green[9] In the early 1990s[citation needed], Tart-n-Tangy Skittles were introduced. They were tart (like SweeTarts). The product was discontinued a few years after its introduction[citation needed].
Sour Skittles Green Sour Blue Raspberry (blue), Sour Lemon (yellow), Sour Strawberry (red), Sour Orange (orange), Sour Grape (purple), Sour Green Apple (green), Sour Watermelon (pink) Sour Skittles were introduced in 2000.[3] Sour Skittles are coated with very sour sugar and citric acid crystals. As part of the Shrek The Third promotion, pink Wizard Watermelon Skittles, replacing Grape, and green Apple-y Ever After Skittles were added to the variety of Sour Skittles[citation needed].
Sour Skittles (Canada) Sour Blue Raspberry (blue), Sour Lemon (yellow), Sour Strawberry (red), Sour Watermelon (pink), Sour Green Apple (green)
Sour Skittles (United Kingdom) Green Sour Raspberry (pink), Sour Mandarin (orange), Sour Apple (green), Sour Pineapple (yellow), Sour Cherry (purple)
Smoothie Mix Skittles Peach Peach Pear (light green), Mixed Berry (pastel purple), Lemon Berry (light yellow), Strawberry Banana (light peach), Orange, Mango (faded orange) In 2005,[3] Smoothie Mix Skittles were introduced. The name comes from a smoothie, which is a fruit mix drink, and the product is sold in either orange bags or boxes.[9][3]
Ice Cream Skittles Cream/off-white Caramel Ripple (light brown), Chocolate (dark brown), Vanilla (beige), Orange, Vanilla Swirl (orange), Strawberry (pink) In March 2006[citation needed], Skittles released a 'Limited Edition' Ice Cream Skittles variety. This also went along with their "Chillin' for a Million" campaign[citation needed]. By late 2006 they were very difficult to find as they have been discontinued.[citation needed]
Carnival Skittles Yellow Cotton Candy (baby blue), Bubble Gum (pink), Candy Apple (light yellow), Licorice (red), Green Slushy (green) In October 2006 Limited Edition Carnival Skittles (also known as Unlimited Skittles) began circulating[citation needed]. In 2007, flavors of Carnival Skittles were made available in regular packs of Skittles (Green Slushy in Original Fruit packs, Candy Apple in Wild Berry packs, Cotton Candy in Smoothie Mix packs, and Bubble Gum in Tropical packs) to help coincide with the Text Thru Time promotion[citation needed].
Skittles Unlimited Black Popcorn (light yellow), Jam Donut (brown red), Toffee Apple (green), Fairy Floss (pink), Bubblegum (baby blue) In 2007, Limited Edition Carnival Skittles were re-released as 'Skittles Unlimited' for a limited time in Canada and are sold in black packages.[9] In June 2007 Carnival Skittles became available in Australia, known as Showtime flavours[citation needed].
Double Sour Skittles Green Sour Blue Raspberry (blue), Sour Lemon (yellow), Sour Strawberry (red), Sour Watermelon (pink), Sour Green Apple (green) In 2007, Double Sour were introduced[citation needed]. These types of Skittles are, as the name suggests, coated with a double portion of very sour citric acid crystals. Like Sour Skittles, the product is sold in either bright green bags or boxes.[9]
Xtreme Fruit Skittles Black Wild Cherry (red), Tangerine (orange), Watermelon (pink), Blue Raspberry (blue), Green Apple (green) Xtreme Fruit Skittles were introduced in 2007[citation needed], and have the same flavors as Xtreme Fruit Skittles Bubble Gum. Xtreme Fruit is a mix of exotic fruit flavoring, and the product is sold in either black bags or boxes.[9]
Mint Skittles Blue Spearmint, Wintergreen Mint Skittles were made in 2000[citation needed]. Unlike ordinary Skittles, they came in plastic containers instead of bags.[9]
Skittles Mints Green Coolmint (blue), Peppermint (white), Toffeemint (green-brown), Spearmint (dark green), Sweetmint (Pale green) Skittles Mints (different from Mint Skittles) are a variety of mint flavoured Skittles sold for a time in Europe.[9] They were sold not in the usual bag nor in the plastic containers, but in a 55g box, deep turquoise in color.[9] Skittles Mints were released in 2001[citation needed].
Chocolate Skittles Brown Milk Chocolate (brown), Wild Chocolate (blue), Hot Chocolate (white,later red), Nutty Chocolate (tan), Mocha Chocolate (green) Chocolate Skittles were released in 1998[citation needed]. They have been discontinued as of 2001[citation needed]. They were sold in 55g bags just like M&M's.[9]
Chocolate Mix Skittles Brown S'mores (copper), Chocolate Pudding (auburn), Chocolate Caramel (brown), Vanilla (off-white/buff), Brownie Batter (dark brown/black) Skittles "Chocolate Mix" was announced at the All Candy Expo 2007[citation needed]. The product is sold in either brown bags or boxes.[9]
Licorice Skittles Black Black Licorice (black), Licorice Aniseed (green), Licorice Spice (red), Licorice Vanilla (orange), Licorice Mint (white) Licorice Skittles were made in 1982[citation needed]. They have been discontinued[citation needed]. They were sold in Europe in 55g boxes rather than the usual bag.[9]
Fresh Mint Skittles Dark green Mint Fresh Mint Skittles were released in 1977 and production ended in 2005[citation needed].
Skittles Sensations Dark blue[9] Chilli Berry (red), Juicy Orange (orange), Lemon Tingle (yellow), Sour Apple (green), Cool Raspberry (blue) In 2008, Skittles Sensations were produced[citation needed].

References

  1. ^ a b SKITTLES | Product Info
  2. ^ Mars North America Newsroom
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Mars - Skittles". mars.com. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |retrieval date= ignored (help)
  4. ^ Skittle Weight
  5. ^ BIR Kosher Certification
  6. ^ London Beth Din Kashrut Division
  7. ^ OU - The world's best known kosher trademark | Consumers | Alerts
  8. ^ JPS. "The Great Skittle Debate". February-7.com. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |retrieval date= ignored (help)
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Per product packaging label.
  10. ^ Mars Press Release


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