The tests are part of advancements Rousselot is making to its SiMoGel technology, which it introduced last year, making porcine or bovine gelatin grades.
Starchless environment
It says it has accelerated the gelation process of gummies to 5-10 ten minutes, depending on the type of mold used, with its gelatin-based technology SiMoGel.
The gelatin-based solution for starchless molding is being testing in collaboration with Baker Perkins, a British engineering company that manufactures process systems and equipment for the global confectionery and bakery industry.
According to Jeff Daelman, product & business development manager, Rousselot, there is currently no other gelatin-based technology on the market that enables gummy gelation in such a short time.
The technology is aimed at confectioners and nutraceutical manufacturers producing gummies in a starchless environment.
“With growing consumer demand for nutraceutical gummies, the use and recycling of starch is becoming a hindrance,” said Daelman.
3D metal molds
“Starchless molding is becoming increasingly popular as it is a clean and a hygienic alternative, considerably speeding up the gelation process compared to the minimum of 24 hours normally needed within a starch depositing process.”
Daelman added, by optimizing the effect of various product and process parameters, it reduced the previous gelation time of the first SiMoGel version from 30 minutes to a few minutes.
The team has also tested and verified various novel mold types, including 3D metal and air eject, which removes the need for starch depositing completely.
"Baker Perkins has been working with Rousselot on development of a starch-free production process for gummies for about 18 months," said Keith Graham, business development manager, Baker Perkins.
"We jointly identified there was a real need from the market to avoid the cost and complexity of making gummies on starch depositing lines, especially for nutraceutical gummies where hygienic production is paramount.
"Starch-free depositing into solid molds (which we first developed over 50 years ago) is the obvious alternative but there were significant technical challenges to overcome in both the formulation and process, including depositing a viscous syrup, rapid cooling and achieving 100% ejection from the molds.
"Having jointly solved these we see potential for this technology to replace starch depositing in confectionery as well as nutraceutical gummies."