From sherbet to popping sandwich bags
The appeal of sherbet as a children's sweet is twofold, first the taste which is a mixture of sweet (from the sugar), tart (from the citric acid) and provides a satisfying fizz on the your tongue, which food scientists call 'mouthfeel' from the reaction of citric acid with sodium bicarbonate. The mouthfeel fizz comes from the evolution of CO2 when the citric acid reacts with the sodium bicarbonate giving off CO2 as foam.