Texture Analysis SolutionsGummy Candy Hardness
Highlights
- Objective measurement process developed to understand and control cook profile (stoving) in soft candy manufacturing
- Repeatable, quick and reproducible test method using a software-controlled texture analyzer
- Precision compression sphere to compress the product, replicating a squeeze beween the fingers or initial bite experience
- Quantified hardness texture correlated to the ideal acceptable firmness quality to feedback into processing
Situation
A soft candy sugar confectionery producer wanted to measure the hardness of gummy sweets during stoving process as a predictor of elasticity and minimise time in the stoving oven.
The stoving process is the bottle-neck to the production of gelatin-based gummy confectionery. The customer had been reliant on sensory testing to predict when sweets were at correct texture, resulting in high degree of variation between batches. The hardness property was seen as the relevant quality attribute, not the mechanical parameter of gumminess.
Method
Compression test using a large ball probe replicated squeezing of gummy sweet between thumb and forefinger.
- Identified key textural properties of gummy sweets through sensory evaluation
- Correlated findings with instrumental measurements
- Used hardness parameter to establish upper and lower tolerances for production
Significance and Benefits
- Removed bottle-neck in production process by optimising time gummy sweets spend in stoving oven
- Maintaining consistent product quality
Related products
The texture analysis techniques used in this case study are applicable for a range of gummi chewable products. The effects formulation changes of gummy vitamin, CBD ( cannabidiol) and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) edible gel-based gummies can be measured with the same compression probe methodology. Traditional pharmaceutical and nutraceutical product manufacturers implement firmness testing to control quality and maintain palatability.
