Carrageenan in Gummy Candies

Carrageenan in Gummy Candies Gummy candies are included in a large category of confectionary products such as jellies, pastilles, and wine gums. Originally popularize in Europe, these candies were introduced to United Sates in the early 1980s. Current U.S manufacture now includes a myriad of products with various shapes, sizes, flavors, and food applications.

Traditionally the texture of gummy candies is obtained by using various water binding gelling agents, such as gelatin, starch, pectin and gum arabic. After a boiled mixture of sugars has been prepared, it is mixed with the gelling agent concentrated and then processed into various shapes by depositing into starch molds. After forming the shapes, the gummy candies are dried to their final moisture content and texture by stoving. Once the confections are removed from the starch molds and cleaned, they may be passed through glazing that wets the products with either steam or oil. 

Many consumers, especially mature populations, avoid gummy candies because they stick to their teeth. Gummy candies formulated with Carrageenan offer a range of desirable textures from soft, easy to chew to firmer, short-textured candies. Gummies made width Carrageenan provide clean flavor release, decreased set-up time, and heat stability upon storage. 

In addition, Carrageenan offers processing ease in gummy manufacture: It may be dry blended first with sugar and added to the hot syrup mixture. Traditional gelatin or starch based gummies must first include a step for dissolution of these ingredients. 

Carrageenan in Gummy Candies

What is Pectin?

What is Pectin?
Pectins are primarily polymers of polygalacturonic acid which are esterified to varying degrees. They are extracted from citrus peel and apple pomace and can be processed to yield two general types of commercial pectin products – high and low methoxyl.

High methoxyl-pectins are characterized by an esterification degree of greater than 50% and are capable of forming gel networks at acid pHs in the presence of high soluble solids. Buffer salts are often added to High methoxyl-pectins to retard the speed of gelatin and to reduce depositing viscosity for ease of candy production. Prebuffered High methoxyl-pectins are available for confectionary applications which yields different setting speeds and finished product texture.

Low methoxyl-pectins are also used in confectionary products, often in combination with starches. Setting for low-methoxyl-pectins is based on divalent ions such as calcium and is much less pH dependent than that for high methoxyl-pectins.

Pectins jelly confections, often produced using fruit flavors, are characterized by a very tender, short texture with excellent clarity, a “clean bite”, and outstanding flavor release properties. Pectin based confections can be chocolate enrobed, sanded with sugar, or panned.
What is Pectin?