If you love extreme food challenges, there’s a fearsome new confection taking social media by storm.
The ‘Black Death’ sweets are ultra-sour jet black balls created by English confectionery company Mr Simms.
Mr Simms describes Black Death as ‘the world’s sourest sweet’, beating the likes of Sour Patch Kids, Toxic Waste and Warheads Sour Cubes.
On its website, the little lemon-flavoured boiled spheres are available at £4.50 for 200g, £10.99 for 500g and £21.79 for 1kg.
And due to their alleged potency, they’re not recommended for anyone under the age of 12.
Social media influencer @underratedhijabi has already tried the confectionary, describing it as like ‘a metal road at the back of my throat’.
In a viral video, she theatrically bursts into a series of convulsions seconds after popping it into her mouth and has to quickly spit it out.
Not to be deterred, MailOnline’s Assistant Science Editor, Jonathan Chadwick, got hold of a packet – although just one of the balls was more than enough.
Black Death boiled sweets are lemon-flavoured with an acid coating and an ‘extremely acid’ centre
A spokesperson for Mr Simms told MailOnline: ‘This is the world’s sourest sweet’ – beating even the extreme American sour candy
I love super-sour candy, having grown up guzzling the likes of Jelly Belly Sours, Dweebs, Haribo Tangfastics and Swizzels Refreshers.
But I’m a bit nervous about the Black Death, which has already put a 10-year-old girl in hospital after it burnt her throat.
Black Death are exclusively available at Mr Simms – the ‘Olde Sweet Shoppe’ known for its retro-looking wood-panelled physical stores across England.
When I get my sample, I notice on the packet it says Black Death sweets are ‘not suitable for children under 12 years of age’.
‘CAUTION: Excessive consumption within a brief time frame may cause temporary mouth and/or stomach irritation,’ it adds.
I’m instantly reminded of 77X42, the small lemon sweet from an episode of ‘The Simpsons’ that is so sour it can only be contained in a magnetic field.
Among Black Death’s ingredients are sugar, glucose syrup and malic acid – the compound responsible for the tart flavour in fruits and vegetables, such as rhubarb.
There’s also citric acid, which is generally recognised as safe as a food additive – but is also used as a de-scaler in household cleaning products.
Black iron oxide gives the sweets a jet black appearance, like little charcoal lumps (if it weren’t for the heavy dusting of chunky acid crystals over them)
The packaging says: ‘Warning: Not suitable for children under 12 years of age’. Its aroma is described as ‘of sugar, acid and lemon’
I’m reminded of 77X42, the small lemon sweet from an episode of ‘The Simpsons’ that is so sour it can only be contained in a magnetic field
Also included is black iron oxide, which sounds pretty ominous but is an approved, commonly-used colourant used in the food industry.
It gives the sweets a jet black appearance, like little charcoal lumps (if it weren’t for the heavy dusting of chunky acid crystals over them).
Unlike the hysterical social media influencer, I’m forbidden from spitting out Black Death once I put it in my mouth (it is a taste test after all!)
For the first two seconds, it doesn’t really seem that sour at all, but the zingy effect very suddenly registers.
The only thing I can compare it to is taking a big bite out of a pink grapefruit, peel and all – not really that pleasant.
I get all the physiological symptoms, including wincing and puckered mouth – although not quite to the extent of Homer Simpson.
It’s easily the sourest sweet I’ve ever had, but I don’t quite get the urge to spit it out.
Somehow this goes against the human body’s innate rejection response for sour things, which are detected by special receptor cells in taste buds.
On its website, the boiled balls are available at £4.50 for 200g, £10.99 for 500g and £21.79 for 1kg
Thankfully, the ferociously sour taste doesn’t last for the entire time that you’re sucking the little black ball.
After about 20-30 seconds, just as you think you can’t take any more, it suddenly shifts from ultra-sour to fruity sweet.
It seems that the crusty white exterior crystals are what gives the sweet its astringency – but once you’ve sucked through them the endurance test is basically over.
Finally, once you get to the centre, you get an extra little burst of sourness – although nothing compared with the initial hit.
To be honest, having seen the histrionics of @underratedhijabi, I’m a tad disappointed that Black Death sweets aren’t a lot more potent.
I guess the next step up from Black Death is confectionary containing inedible acids that are so toxic they could seriously harm someone.
So unless we enter the fictional realm of Willy Wonka or The Simpsons, Black Death is probably as acidic as we’re going to get.
However, I wouldn’t recommend eating several of these in one go, or leaving them lying around for any unsuspecting child to encounter.
According to scientists, excess exposure to acid can burn through the tender skin on the tongue and cheeks – so approach with caution.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .