Jellies enriched with vitamins and nutritional supplements for children and adults are among the ongoing trends. For producers who want to prevail over competition, this confectionery industry, fast-moving market environment triggers the need for efficient and flexible process technology.
The jelly market is diverse, colorful and characterized by ever new trends. If they want to keep up with these trends and withstand the constant price pressure, manufacturers in the confectionery industry must continuously develop creative ideas while maintaining their production as cost-efficient as possible. To implement these ideas, they need a partner who can support them with creative solutions, comprehensive expertise, and innovative technologies from the very beginning.
The jelly kitchen: innovative equipment for sustainable production in confectionery industry
In addition to the value-determining raw materials, the kitchen is the starting point for the production of high-quality jellies. Here, process requirements are high. The entire production environment must meet maximum hygienic standards. A high degree of precision is also required for the continuous dosing and mixing of valuable ingredients such as vitamins and minerals. Especially when it comes to very small quantities, volumetric dosing and mixing stations are best suited. The kitchens also have membrane pumps with flow control and a high dosing accuracy of up to one percent.
“Moreover, sustainability is an important issue in jelly production. By using our patented Rapidsolver, a process technology for dissolving jelly mass, we enable significant energy savings in this process step,” explains Dr. Sandra Link, product manager at Makat Candy Technology. “By expanding the Rapidsolver with the patented Energy Recovery System ERS, producers can achieve energy savings of up to 50 percent.”
The Rapidsolver’s optimized design enables a reduction in steam pressure of up to 0.5 bar. This not only reduces energy consumption within the dissolving process; it also reduces the heat load on the mass and protects the quality of the end product. Extensive research resulted in the geometry of the Rapidsolver’s mixing elements, which are especially adapted to the needs of gummy and jelly. It ensures a “FIRST in, FIRST out” principle and reduces dead corners, which in turn reduce cleaning times. The hygienic design and the specifically adapted CIP (cleaning in place) system with integrated rotating spray balls also facilitate a thorough cleaning of the equipment for the confectionery industry.
High accuracy for a perfect result
Once the suspension has been mixed, dissolved, and preconditioned for further processing, another decisive step is required: depositing the jellies. Here, starch depositing process is the established standard for manufacturers who want to respond quickly and flexibly to new consumer demands or market trends. “The Makat HLM (high-performance mogul) works particularly precise. Thanks to its reproducible and accurate depositing result, it ensures consistently high product quality – whether you want to deposit 500 or 6,000 kilograms of jellies per hour,” says Dr. Sandra Link.
The stamps used to form the negative molds in the starch can be flexibly and easily exchanged to create a wide range of variations in size and shape. The Makat HLM also features a robust design and PLC-controlled process monitoring. Its scalable production system is also ideally suited for the use of Industry 4.0 solutions. Sustainability also plays an important role. For example, the brushless RNC 6000 tray edge cleaning system reduces not only the starch losses, but also production waste, cleaning effort, and costs.
Jelly meets starchless
In addition to reliable quality, innovation is a key factor in jelly production. Manufacturers must always be able to offer new product variants and respond promptly to changing consumer wishes. New products require innovative manufacturing processes, such as starchless depositing, a process that is particularly suitable for the production of jellies enriched with minerals and or vitamins. “Starchless depositing eliminates the need for starch. Instead, the jelly mass is poured into special reusable molds,” Dr. Sandra Link explains. “We have optimized our equipment in order to ensure a high-quality depositing process of masses with a high dry substance content.” After depositing, the product molds with the jelly mass pass through an integrated cooling tunnel and are brought to the required demolding temperature. Depending on the recipe, the jellies are cooled and form-stable already after 20 minutes of cooling time. Once the jellies have been demolded, the empty molds return to the depositor and the process starts all over again.
“In the traditional starch-based depositing process, the starch trays have to remain in a curing room for up to 72 hours,” Dr. Sandra Link explains. “The starchless depositing process has several advantages. It reduces production time and the products no longer have to leave the machine for cooling. In addition, jelly producers save the space and energy costs for the curing rooms, as well as all expenses for starch handling and conditioning – which also eliminates expenses for ATEX protection.“
From vitamin bears to collagen drops
“The use of product molds limits the design options somewhat,” says Dr. Sandra Link. “Nevertheless, starchless depositing can also be attractive for mass production of jellies in simple, uniform shapes. In addition, it is suited for the production of jellies as dietary supplements enriched with vitamins or other additives.”
The increasing demand for these so-called “nutraceuticals” in jelly form is a sought-after trend in the confectionery industry and is partly responsible for the dynamic market developments. The starchless depositing process enables jelly producers to manufacture a final product that complies with the guidelines for dietary supplements and OTC (Over the Counter) products. Dr. Sandra Link is convinced that “starchless jelly production will currently not replace mogul technology. Rather, it is an excellent addition to the portfolio, enabling us to respond even better to the individual needs of our customers and find the best possible solution for them.”
When it comes to deciding on the most suitable process for their gummy and jelly products, Makat supports confectionery manufacturers right from the start. “At the Application Technology Center at our site in Dierdorf, customers benefit from our experts’ knowledge. Our team works with our customers to develop innovative products and processes, advises them on how to optimize their production processes and, if necessary, trains their employees in the use of new processes,” Dr. Sandra Link concludes.