Confections that “swim” in a carbonated beverage

Abstract

An edible confection with a recognizable shape which repeatedly rises and sinks, i.e., “swims,” in a transparent carbonated beverage due to changing buoyancy resulting from the formation of carbonation bubbles on the surface of the confection, and the escape of the bubbles to the atmosphere when the confection reaches the top of the beverage. The ability of the confection to ascend and descend is determined by the density, volume and surface area of the confection, and the volume per unit surface area of bubbles which form on the confection. For a thin confection the conditions for ascension and descension are substantially independent of the dimensions other than the thickness. Bubble nucleation is promoted by a surface which is rough on small length scales, and large bubbles can be retained on the surface if the confection is smooth on larger length scales. A low solubility confection is preferred because the dimensions of the confection and its surface properties are relatively invariant with time, and the submerged confection has little effect on the appearance and the level of carbonation of the beverage. The number of confections in the beverage is chosen to be large enough that one or more confections are usually in motion, yet not so large that the confections inhibit the swimming motions of each other. In a preferred embodiment the confections are soft and colorful, and the recognizable shapes of the confections are marine-related shapes.