Gums and jellies are traditionally manufactured in a starch molding process and finished with an anti-sticking agent. What if the gummies come out of your oiling drum nice and shiny, but stick together immediately after treatment, later during storage or in the packaging? CAPOL® Application Technology specialists give advice how to avoid an undesired clumping effect.
Who does not love colorful assortments of gums and jellies? In bear or fruit form, sweet or tart, chewy and fresh, each piece imparting a delicious delight. You open the package, a subtle fruity flavor comes your way and… oh wait, the gummies stick as a gooey block in the package just opened.
No matter how much work and soul you put into the recipe and manufacturing of your gummies, the oiling is what makes your gums or jellies look as attractive as they should, and as enjoyable to eat as they typically are. Do they appear nice and shiny or are the gummies sticky and dull? Sticking and clumping of the products do not only impair the appearance of the product from the customer’s point of view, but also hinder efficient transporting and packaging processes.
CAPOL® anti-sticking agents prevent gums and jellies from sticking together and make for a beautiful shine. Our Application Technologists are only satisfied after the perfect finish is achieved. Rocky Föll holds a Masters Degree in Food Science and has been part of the CAPOL® Application Technology team for over 5 years. As a skilled Confectionery Technologist he knows how important the oiling is as a final step before packaging and he has seen the challenges that confectioners may face in the process. Even if gums and jellies are treated with anti-sticking agents in an oiling drum or conventional pan, manufacturers sometimes encounter sticking problems with their products – be it immediately after oiling, in the storage, packaging or transportation of product. “It is important to apply an anti-sticking agent correctly and to take the manufacturing process into consideration”, says Rocky. “Therefore, our team is available to give advice whenever needed - be it a confectioner who wants to change to CAPOL® anti-sticking agents, who looks to adjust the oiling process or who faces troubles with the current finishing results, we are happy to guide the process so many find toilsome.”
Where to start when your gelatin, pectin or starch-based gums or jellies stick together? “A simple starting point is to control the dosage level of the anti-sticking agent”, explains Rocky. While a variety of factors can be the reason for the issue, he says that the most obvious fact may not be forgotten: “If the dosage is too low, you will not obtain a good result. That’s why we give customers clear recommendations on dosage levels to treat their gums and jellies.”
A second factor to look at if confronted with sticking problems is the dwelling time in the oiling drum or conventional pan. If it is too short, the anti-sticking agent may not have time enough to do the job. Rocky recommends to also consider the process: “Dwelling times should be adjusted to the machinery used. In a continuous process, like in an oiling drum, I advise my customers slightly different dwelling times than in a discontinuous process, for example if using a conventional pan.” He knows from experience that economical aspects in production or even technical restraints can be factors leading to short dwelling. A too short oiling drum or the wrong angle of the oiling drum can negatively affect the process, and may need to be adjusted.
“I sometimes see under-oiled gums on the top of a package while gums on the bottom are completely over-oiled”, says Rocky. The reason behind this phenomenon can be seen as the third potential root cause for sticking of gums and jellies. Anti-sticking agents are dispersions, with oil and wax being their main ingredients. If the dispersion separates, wax particles will layer at the bottom of a repository and the oil will remain at the top. Thus, an operator who fills the tanks to be used for oiling the gums or jellies will likely pour much more oil than wax into it. As a result, too much oil and almost no wax will be applied through the spraying nozzles in a continuous process or from the beaker used in a discontinuous process. Rocky points out: “The unequal distribution of anti-sticking agent becomes visible in the packaging over time, because the oil needs the wax due to the fact that the wax particles act as a hook to hold the oil in place.”
Furthermore, the residual moisture of mogule starch can hinder an effective anti-sticking treatment. If the residence time of the gummies in the mogule starch is too short or the residual moisture in the mogule starch itself is too high, the gums and jellies may retain too much moisture for further treatment. “The mogule starch takes the excess moisture or water content from the gums without any stickiness, but this can only be achieved with a sufficient residence time and at a certain ratio of moisture in the starch”, Rocky describes. “But there is no need to get stuck with sticking issues. We are here to help.”
Do you want to change your oiling process? Do you face issues with sticky or clumpy gums or jellies even after treatment with anti-sticking agents? Get in touch with our CAPOL® Application Technology team and we will resolve it with you.
