In life, the most popular snack for children is candy. As an important part of candy, do you know about gummy candy? Perhaps you will look at the ingredient list printed on the packaging bag of gummy candy and know what its components are. Then, you can buy a variety of gummy candies in the supermarket. What are the differences between them? Do different gummy candies have different tastes? Today, I will give you some knowledge about gummy candies. Please read it patiently, and you may gain a lot.
The Cultural & Historical Context of Gummy
Who invented your favorite gummy? Its story can be traced back hundreds of years. The earliest “ancestor” of gummy candy, Turkish delight (lokum), was born in the Ottoman Empire. As you taste the rose-scented candy cubes sprinkled with icing sugar, European travelers as early as the 18th century brought the gummy candy recipe back to their own countries for research and development; in Germany in the 1920s, confectioner Hans Riegel founded Haribo and made the iconic Goldbären (golden bears) with gelatin, which is an important historical symbol of the history of gummy candy.
But by the second station period, the shortage of sugar almost made gummy candy disappear. In order to adapt to the changing times, Haribo turned gummy bears into tiny “dancing bears”, which unexpectedly made them a symbol of hope in the dark ages.
In Japan in the 1980s, gummy candy was no longer exclusive to children. The brand Puré reshaped them into a refined enjoyment for adults – lychee flavor, red wine filling, packaged in high-end gift boxes.
Today, the gummy candy in your palm has long surpassed snacks. It is a culture that spans thousands of years, embodying the ancient craftsmanship of confectioners from all over the world, their persistence in war, and contemporary creativity.
The Manufacturing Process for Gummy
Step 1: Good formula
You may not think that the starting point of a gummy is a precise formula in the laboratory. Confectioners balance the “skeleton ratio” of gelatin, pectin or agar like mixing magic potions – 1% more water, it may collapse; 0.5 seconds less heating, the taste is no longer chewy. And when you bite that strawberry, it is the precise collision of naturally concentrated juice and edible acid (such as citric acid), the acidity is slightly biased, and the flavor is completely changed.
Step 2: Assembly line
In a 150℃ hot melt extruder, the sugar gelatin turns into golden lava and flows to the molds carved with bears, dinosaurs, shells, or stars. Then, placing the gummy on a tray covered with corn starch will absorb excess water, allowing the gummy to slowly cool over 12 hours, forming a layered texture with a slightly tough outer skin and a dense inner core.
Step 3: Coat
Depending on the different formulas of the gummy, some of them need to be coated with icing. Put the freshly molded soft candy (which is sticky) into the rotary sugar coating machine, and coat it with edible wax or palm oil and spray it into a nano-scale film, which not only prevents adhesion but also makes the surface glow with an attractive luster.
If you prefer the acid sand version, the icing of citric acid and fine sugar is electrostatically adsorbed to ensure uniformity to the millimeter level.
Step 4: Quality inspection of soft candy
Soft candy manufacturers will use laser scanners to detect the length, width, and height tolerances (±0.3mm) of each soft candy, infrared probes to detect whether the moisture content meets the standard, and even AI cameras can eliminate “defective products” with color deviation.
Step 5: Packaging
Although most soft candies are wrapped in icing, they will also melt due to changes in the temperature of the packaging environment. Therefore, we generally recommend that our soft candy packaging customers use weight weighing instead of particle measurement. This method can avoid the cost control of some soft candies with extremely high temperature requirements.
Our doypack machine is very suitable for prefabricated bag design for packaging soft candies. The prefabricated bags of soft candies are self-supporting bags and zipper bags.
Key Ingredients & Texture
Gummy Ingredients
According to the global research on gummy candy production process, the formula system of modern gummy candy can be broken down into the following four modules:
- Colloid system (colloid determines the characteristics of gummy candy) – accounting for 1.5%-15% of the formula
The following is the conventional addition amount, not the absolute ratio, and the example is given to make it easier for you to understand.
When the gelatin addition amount is 5%-12%, you can taste the traditional gummy bears and collagen gummy candies, which are thermoreversible elastic and have a strong chewing feeling.
When the pectin addition amount is 1.5%-3%, you can taste that the fruit-flavored gummy candies (such as crystal gummy candies) have a crisper taste than gummy bears.
When the carrageenan addition amount is 2%-4%, you can taste the refreshing, non-sticky, and highly transparent gummy candies.
When the starch addition amount is 12%-18%, the gummy candies are sticky and glutinous, low-cost, and economical gummy candies.
- Sugar system – 60%-85% of the formula
The golden ratio of sucrose and glucose syrup is usually used to control the sweetness and crystallinity of soft candy. According to the data query, sucrose exceeding 45% will result in a hard texture. The addition of glucose syrup can inhibit crystallization and improve moisture retention. Moisture retention can extend the shelf life by 30%.
- Functional additives – 0.5%-20% of the formula
In functional soft candy, the loading of some ingredients may directly affect the efficacy, such as vitamins, probiotics, dietary fiber, and other functional element additives.
- Texture regulator – 0.1%-2% of the formula
Citric acid: When the pH value is controlled at 3.2-3.8, the pectin gel strength can be optimized, and the gummy candy tastes sour.
Carnauba wax: The anti-sticking effect is best when the coating thickness is 50μm, which can make the gummy candy taste smoother and more elastic.
Gummy’s Texture
Through the Texture Analyzer test, it was found that the hardness, elasticity index, and chewiness of different colloid types are different (the following is based on experimental test data):
| Colloidal type | Hardness (N) | Elastic index | Elasticity index (mJ) |
| gelatin | 12.3±0.5 | 0.86 | 8.2 |
| pectin | 28.7±1.2 | 0.62 | 14.5 |
| carrageenan | 19.6±0.8 | 0.73 | 11.3 |
| starch | 35.4±1.5 | 0.41 | 18.9 |
Types of Gummies
Search for information, the types of gummies are as follows
- Gummy Bears
As you can see from the name, this type of gummy has a classic animal shape and a translucent, elastic texture. It is generally based on gelatin and has a strong fruity flavor. When you put the gummy bear in your mouth, it is slightly sticky and slowly melts with body temperature. You will feel chewy and chewy. This type is loved by children, nostalgic adults, and snack lovers of movies and TV series.
- Sour Gummy
This type of gummy is coated with citric acid powder on the outside, and the fruity acidity is off the charts. When you put it in your mouth, you will feel sour first and sweet later, and the sandy outer skin forms a contrast with the soft and glutinous inner core. It is generally liked by teenagers, heavy taste lovers, and people who love stress-relieving snacks.
- Fruit Gummy
This type of gummy originally emphasized the addition of natural fruit juice, and the shape is mostly fruit slices. It gives you a strong fruity aroma, a soft texture, and some of them have a pulpy fiber feel. This is more popular with healthy families, juice lovers, and people who are looking for outdoor sports supplies.
- Chocolate Gummy
Chocolate gummy combines chocolate flavor with a chocolate coating on the outside of the gummy to form a gummy center inside. It gives people a double taste of crispy skin and soft glutinous taste. Of course, the sweetness is also relatively high. It is more popular among sweets lovers, holiday gift consumers, and afternoon tea accompaniments.
- Sugar-Free Gummy
Sugar-free gummy uses erythritol/stevia as a sweetener. This type of gummy has a low GI value. You will feel that its sweetness is close to sucrose, and the aftertaste is slightly cool. This type is more suitable for diabetics who like to eat sugar, sugar control fitness parties, and low-carb dieters.
- CBD-Infused Gummy
This type of gummy also contains cannabidiol, which is mainly for relaxation and sleep. When you taste it, the outer layer of this gummy is slightly sweet to cover the bitterness inside, and the inner core is similar to ordinary gummy. CBD-Infused Gummy is suitable for some high-pressure office workers and people who have a certain help with insomnia.
- Gummy Novelty
This candy is mainly invented around a joint or a funny shape. The texture of this gummy is hard to maintain its shape, giving you a strong chewing feeling. It is mainly suitable for children, social sharing parties, and some buyers who have regular theme parties.
- Halal and Kosher Gummy
Halal and Kosher Gummy is a gummy product that complies with the dietary regulations of Islam and Judaism. Halal Gummy candies are eaten by Muslims, because these believers’ food cannot contain pork, blood, alcohol, and other ingredients, so gummy usually uses plant-based colloids instead of animal gelatin. Another type of Kosher Gummy is a gummy product that complies with the dietary regulations of Judaism. Their food does not contain a mixture of milk and meat products, and does not contain ingredients such as lard. This type of gummy is mainly purchased by religious believers.
- Gluten-Free Gummy
This gummy does not contain gluten and is usually made of pectin or gelatin. If you have tried it, you will feel that the texture is slightly loose, lacking traditional gummy, and the taste is similar to ordinary gummy. This type of gummy is mainly consumed by people with specific health needs, such as patients with gluten intolerance (celiac disease) and people with allergies.
- Vegan Gummies
This type of gummies uses plant-based gelatin, such as agar, gelatin substitutes (such as carrageenan) and various natural flavors and colors, and no dairy products. When you taste it, you will feel that it is crispy or jelly-like, and it melts quickly. It is suitable for vegetarians.
- Low-Calorie Gummy
This type of gummies refers to gummies with relatively low calories, with a single calorie of ≤10kcal, suitable for consumption during fat loss. In life, you may have heard of Swisse probiotic gummies and L-carnitine gummies. In addition to low calories, these two gummies also contain ingredients that are beneficial to the human body, such as probiotics, L-carnitine and CLA. It is very suitable for people who are losing weight, those who control calories, and those who like snacks.
- Japanese Gummy
The ultimate craftsmanship of Japanese gummies makes it popular in the gummy market. As far as I know, the craftsmanship of this type of gummy candy is more prominent, such as the filling bursting and 3D three-dimensional shape, plus the fresh taste they developed, giving you a soft outer layer, a flowing or bubbling inner core, and rich layers. This type of candy is also one of the snacks preferred by Japanese culture enthusiasts, exquisite snack control, and souvenir consumers.
- Mexican Gummy
You can know from the name that it is a Mexican gummy that originated in Germany. The main ingredients include pectin, gelatin, and concentrated juice. Some top brands use a lot of concentrated juice to ensure the taste and rich flavor. For example, the LISMIS brand gummy bears have many flavors, including woodruff, high-concentration juice gummy candy, white strawberry gummy candy, and champagne gummy bears. When you taste Mexican Gummy, you will feel that the texture is hard and chewy, which is also one of its characteristics. It is purchased by more lovers of exotic flavors, Latin American culture fans, and bar snack parties.
- European Gummy
This gummy has become an indispensable snack in European families and festivals. European soft candies are brightly colored and have a variety of flavors and shapes among so many soft candies. Different shapes are also suitable for consumers of different ages.
When you try the traditional craft Haribo Golden Bear, you will find that it has a pure fruity flavor, moderate elasticity, low sweetness, and natural fruity aroma. It is a favorite candy of many European imported food lovers, ingredient lovers, and retro snack collectors.
Packaging Innovations
Gummy candies have a long history and cultural background. As mentioned above, different cultural backgrounds have different audiences for gummy candies. From the original simple packaging to today’s cans, prefabricated bags, self-supporting bags with zippers, triangle bags, blister films, and other various packaging. This packaging innovation and development process is based on the continuous innovation of gummy candies.
Now the innovation of gummy candy packaging lies in the fact that there is are many of packaging equipment on the market to meet people’s design, etc. For example, the vertical packaging machine can package gummy candies in triangle bag shape and pillow bag shape, and the doypack machine can package irregular bags, zipper bags, and other prefabricated bags. The bottle filling of gummy candies in your life uses a bottle filling machine with an electronic combination scale, a capping machine, a labeling machine, and some quality inspection instruments to complete the bottle filling.
The Healthy Trend of Gummy
The functional gummy mentioned above can help you sleep. In fact, many gummy makers are also moving towards the trend of nutritional gummy, such as the relatively new eye protection gummy (lutein + zeaxanthin), joint health gummy (type II collagen), etc., which are mixed with the characteristics of gummy, which are beneficial to the human body. This is a blueprint for development.
From the replacement of raw materials with natural raw materials, from gelatin to pectin/agar-based gummy, gummy makers are also working hard to develop some natural materials.
The Future of Gummy
The future of gummy can be said to be a better development trend. This industry mainly forgets the trend of functional precision and full-automatic scale. Transition from snacks to nutritious and healthy foods. Supplementing the trace elements of the human body through gummy candy is also a good trend.
Conclusion
Through the cultural background and development history of gummy candy to the various types of gummy candy, from the production process of gummy candy to packaging innovation, I believe you have a certain understanding of gummy candy. If you are interested in the gummy candy industry, you may wish to refer to it. If you need machinery for packaging gummy candy, we can also provide you with better packaging equipment and solutions.
