What function would tartaric acid play in the making of gummy candy? I just made my first successful batch of gummy candy after trying 5 or 6 diff. Recipes. The problem is that 95% of "gummy" candy recipes are basically glorified jello jigglers....not what I'm looking for. I finally found a British recipe (that was uber annoying as I had to weigh everything in grams). I finally got the texture and consistency right, thank God. The question I have is, during one of the last steps of the process, once everything was mixed and had cooled to 122°, the recipe called for 5g of tartaric acid to be stirred in. What function does the tartaric acid play in the candy? It didn't seem to make any visible changes to the solution and I'm wondering if I could have just done without it? Any help would be great. I'll include my ingredients below, in case one of them plays a role with the tartaric acid. 

Gelatin (bloomed to a syrup in a water bath)
Equal parts glucose (corn syrup) and caster sugar (I just used regular sugar as I couldn't find my blender) 25g of both.
Once I mixed and cooled everything I added essential orange oil for flavoring and orange food coloring.
Then I mix the tartaric acid in. Is this a necessary step? If so, what does it contribute to the end result?
My mother always put some ( 1/2 teaspoon) in fudge to prevent or reduce crystallization of the sugar ( she said).