For a friend, I am trying to come as close to the typical, commercial "fruit-slice" candy (really just oversized gumdrops) as possible. The ones he had been getting, which he hasn't been able to find recently, are the "Farley" brand, the ingredients of which are "Sugar, corn syrup, modified corn starch, natural and artificial flavors, artificial colors including blue 1, red 3, red 40, yellow 5 and yellow 6."
Unless hidden as "natural and artificial flavors," gelatin. pectin and gum Arabic do NOT appear in the ingredient list, but all of the recipes I have found on line contain at least one of those so, if possible, I would like to find a recipe that doesn't use them. If it's not scientifically possible, then I would like your opinion of what I should try. BTW, he has tried a different product, which DOES contain gelatin, but didn't care for those.
Also, please note (to avoid any confusion) that I am NOT talking about "candied fruit." That is, I am NOT referring to slices of actual fruit that have been cooked in a syrup until candied. Instead, I wish to make the gumdrop-like candies, shaped like "fruit wedges," and sold as either "orange slices" or "assorted fruit slices."
One further, explanatory note as to the reason for this unusual request: my friend is diabetic (and is, himself, a medical doctor), and he says that those "fruit slices" are just the right size, with just the right amount of sugar in a convenient form for him to carry with him in case of bouts of hypoglycaemia and THAT is why he says that the other, gelatin-based candy he tried wasn't enough. I am looking for a recipe similar to "Farley's" because this kind of thing (imported from the States) isn't always available here.
Thanks!