It is more than just nucleation points on the candy.

It isn’t more than nucleation points on the candy. I already provided a source. There are many more. Using a liquid that allows nucleation sites to work better doesn’t make it a chemical reaction.

Suppose you have two liquids with different surface tension and each liquid is mixed with marbles. You pour the liquid through a strainer leaving the marbles behind. The fact that each liquid pours at different rates doesn’t make pouring the liquid a chemical reaction. It’s the same liquid before and after pouring. No chemical reaction has occured.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/04/we-now-know-the-effect-of-altitude-on-classic-diet-coke-and-mentos-fountain/

Mythbusters:

https://youtu.be/LjbJELjLgZg?si=xErbThaPInS-n-VZ

Your point was that a chemical reaction, presumably gas creating, occurs besides the already established effect. The paper you linked just mentions that some dissolved compounds can lower the surface tension which can promote bubble forming. This is not a chemical reaction and the distinction is important.