Baker Perkins and Rousselot unveil new ‘gummy cap’ functional confectionery
UK-based equipment business Baker Perkins and Rousselot have unveiled a new form for functional confectionery with a new format – the gummy cap, featuring active ingredients within a liquid or gel filling of gummies, writes Neill Barston.
The latest entrant into the sweets world is targeting use in a wide range of nutraceutical and OTC healthcare products, reportedly offering a comparable taste with conventional sweets in the category, yet offering additional health properties.
As the company noted, the new delivery form reflects the rise in popularity of gummies for medicinal purposes, particularly amongst children: compared with capsules, gummies are visually appealing with a pleasant taste. Taking a daily supplement in this format becomes a treat, not a chore and the ability to create a variety of 3D shapes with the option of sugar-free production extend marketing opportunities.
The gummy cap process maximises the utilisation of expensive active ingredients. An excess quantity is used when they are added to hot syrup to offset heat degradation but this is avoided by carrying them in a liquid or gel. As an example, an 80mg Vitamin C gummy cap requires 30% less Vitamin C in the formulation than a traditional functional gummy. .
There is more freedom on types of nutraceutical and active ingredients – Vitamin B8 can be used in gummy caps. There is also a higher nutrient content possible, compared to traditional nutraceutical gummies.
The development is made possible by the accuracy, hygiene and rapid cooling of Baker Perkins’ starch-free depositing technology combined with Rousselot’s fast-setting SiMoGel gelatin formulation. Between them, they ensure that the temperature of the filling is kept low to minimise additive degradation.
Starch-free depositing is inherently more hygienic than starch processing but the Baker Perkins equipment brings many more benefits to the producers of functional and pharmaceutical gummies. The design of the depositing nozzles provides very high dosing accuracy with very little waste and the machines are easy to operate and clean. Outputs range from 50 to 1,000kg/hr, ensuring that a system is available for every production requirement from small batch to high volume.
The gummy fillings are water or oil based. Supplements in the filling could include vitamins and botanical/herbal supplements; probiotics; Essential Fatty Acids; and anti-oxidants. Pain relievers, cough suppressants and antihistamines are typical pharmaceutical ingredients.
SiMoGel is a gelatin solution, specifically designed for functional gummy production. It creates gelatin-based nutrient rich gummies for which Baker Perkins starch-free depositing is the ideal production process as it maximises hygiene and process security by eliminating the risk of cross-contamination of active ingredients associated with the starch mogul.
The process is reportedly rapid – 20 minutes setting time compared with up to 24 hours for a mogul. With no-starch, no dryers, no storage space, and compact equipment it is highly cost effective. There is great flexibility with scalable design, and depositing into easy-to-clean silicone or metal moulds or directly to a blister pack. The elimination of dust during production maximises hygiene. Production outputs range from 50 to 1500 kg/hour.
