The surface of caramel has been imaged using pulsed force atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning thermal microscopy, revealing shallow depressions in the surface of 1 to 10 m in dia that have a higher adhesion to the silicon AFM probe and a lower stiffness and different thermal character than the surrounding sample. This is consistent with the view of caramel as fat droplets within a matrix of sugars. As confirmation, the depressed regions were identified by infrared microscopy as consisting mainly of fat in a matrix of sugar. AFM also reveals that regions surrounding the depressions are decorated with thin (about 6nm) plate-like features that display a higher stiffness than the rest of the matrix. We propose that these are of crystalline origin and most probably consist of fat.

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