Candy Manufacturing Research Articles

Herbal Candies: A Potential Source of Health Benefits

Abstract: Candy is a popular product consumed by children, young and elderly alike. The major ingredient sugar makes it an instant source of energy, mostly blended with a variety of flavors and colors for sensory and aesthetic appeal. Flavors such as caramel, chocolate, peppermint, butterscotch, and vanilla are the most popular among many, that comprises of more than 2000 kinds. Although synthetic flavors and colors are predominant, natural sources such as herbs are being increasingly used. Herbal (made from herbs) products have lesser effects, more therapeutic effects, and health benefits. The advantages of herbs used in candy manufacturing are safe, with good efficacy, lower side effect, compatibility with the human body, and wide cultural acceptability. Herbal candies are used as an efficient delivery system for vitamins, minerals, and numerous bioactive compounds like anthocyanin, lycopene, ascorbic acid, etc. They are a remedy of choice in case of cough, sore throat, digestive and stomach problems. The choice of herb often is influenced based on the target health problem, reduced side effects, availability, and preferences. Apart from sugar, these candies are also manufactured using sweetening agents. Sugar and sweeteners consumption is associated with various myths and prejudices owing to increased health concerns. The review is thus designed to justify various aspects of herbal candy like production process, ingredients, historical importance, and types of herbal candies, myths, facts and risks, consumer awareness towards herbal candies. The paper will also draw a roadmap for the future of herbal candy amongst today’s health-wary consumers.

A Candy Defect Detection Method Based on StyleGAN2 and Improved YOLOv7 for Imbalanced Data.

Quality management in the candy industry is a vital part of food quality management. Defective candies significantly affect subsequent packaging and consumption, impacting the efficiency of candy manufacturers and the consumer experience. However, challenges exist in candy defect detection on food production lines due to the small size of the targets and defects, as well as the difficulty of batch sampling defects from automated production lines. A high-precision candy defect detection method based on deep learning is proposed in this paper. Initially, pseudo-defective candy images are generated based on Style Generative Adversarial Network-v2 (StyleGAN2), thereby enhancing the authenticity of these synthetic defect images. Following the separation of the background based on the color characteristics of the defective candies on the conveyor belt, a GAN is utilized for negative sample data enhancement. This effectively reduces the impact of data imbalance between complete and defective candies on the model's detection performance. Secondly, considering the challenges brought by the small size and random shape of candy defects to target detection, the efficient target detection method YOLOv7 is improved. The Spatial Pyramid Pooling Fast Cross Stage Partial Connection (SPPFCSPC) module, the C3C2 module, and the global attention mechanism are introduced to enhance feature extraction precision. The improved model achieves a 3.0% increase in recognition accuracy and a 3.7% increase in recall rate while supporting real-time recognition scenery. This method not only enhances the efficiency of food quality management but also promotes the application of computer vision and deep learning in industrial production.

Standardization of jaggery candy manufacturing process using two sugarcane varieties

Standardization of jaggery candy manufacturing process using two sugarcane varieties

The Shelf-life, Microbiology Quality, and Characteristic Changes of Probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum Dad-13 Milk Jelly Candy during Storage

Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when consumed in sufficient amounts, can provide health benefits to their host. L. plantarum Dad-13 milk jelly candies are non-fermented probiotic products. This study aims to evaluate the changes in the characteristics of probiotic milk jelly candies during storage and their microbiological quality. Characteristics such as pH, water activity (aw), hardness, chewiness, gumminess, brightness, and viability of lactic acid bacteria were analyzed over a period of 4 weeks at two temperatures, namely 4 and 30°C. Sub-lethal injury analysis was conducted to estimate the survival of probiotic cells during the jelly candy manufacturing process. Microbiological quality was assessed through Total Plate Count (TPC), Coliform, Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Mold, and Yeast analyses. The research results showed that the number of probiotic cells experiencing injury was less than 5%. Furthermore, changes in physical characteristics were observed during the 4-week storage period, but the temperature difference only affected pH and aw. The viability of lactic acid bacteria was more stable at a storage temperature of 4°C, and the microbiological quality met the jelly candy standards, except for TPC. Based on the research findings, milk jelly candies can be used as a carrier for probiotic cells as a non-fermented probiotic product innovation, with a recommended storage temperature of 4°C and best consumed within 47 days. Additionally, probiotic milk jelly candies are free from other microbial contamination. Keywords: Jelly candy, L. plantarum Dad-13, Microbiological quality, Probiotic, Storage

Development of Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) Calyx Jelly Candy

Jelly candy is syrup-phase, non-crystalline candy made using sugar, corn syrup and gelling agents such as gelatin, natural gums, pectin or starch. Roselle (<em>Hibiscus sabdariffa</em> L.) has red edible calyx that is the potential to be used as a natural colorant for jelly candy as it contains anthocyanins. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of different concentrations of dried roselle calyx and sucrose on the characteristics of roselle calyx jelly candy developed. The concentrations of sucrose used were 63.56%, 70.62%, 77.68% and 84.75%. The concentrations of dried roselle calyx used were 6.67%, 10.00%, 13.33% and 16.67%. Sensory analysis was done with 70 untrained panelists to analyze physical characteristics and preferences toward the jelly candies. Results of hedonic tests indicated that the best-formulated jelly candy according to aroma, texture, color and taste was made using 16.67% of dried roselle calyx and 63.56% of sucrose. The best-formulated jelly candy contains 19.52% of moisture, 0.03% of ash, 8.24% of protein, 1.72% of fat and 70.49% of carbohydrates. The selected jelly candy contains 14.23±0.23 mg 100g<sup>-1</sup> of anthocyanin and an antioxidant capacity (IC<sub>50</sub>)value of 16863.8346 μg ml<sup>-1</sup>. This research shows the potential use of roselle calyx as a natural colorant in jelly candy manufacturing and can be consumed as a healthier option for sweet treats.

The effects of corn syrup, water content and sucrose replacers on sucrose crystallization in starch jellies

Standard starch jelly formulations were made to test the impact of water content (H2O) and sucrose to corn syrup solid (S/CSS) ratio on glass transition temperature (Tg) and rheology to understand the effect of sucrose mobility on nucleation. Tg and viscosity of starch jellies were found to increase as H2O decreased, reducing molecular mobility. In general, as H2O decreased, induction time for nucleation decreased as supersaturation increased; however, for the lowest H2O, the increased viscosity caused an increase in induction time based on a decrease in mobility. S/CSS ratio had the largest impact on crystallization with induction times increasing as S/CSS ratios decreased, as governed by supersaturation ratio. In addition, common sucrose replacers were used to replace sucrose in jellies. Allulose produced less viscous gels while maltodextrin increased Tg and viscosity. Thus, maltodextrin impeded crystallization by reducing molecular mobility in the gel while allulose increased induction time through intermolecular interactions. Novelty impact statement The purpose of this study was to better understand how starch jelly formulation, including H2O, S/CSS ratio and the utilization of sucrose replacers, impacts jelly properties and sucrose crystallization rates. This is important because the nucleation and growth of sucrose crystals in gummies and jellies can disrupt the homogenous gel network and negatively impact the shelf-life of the product. Our results provide a guide on what starch jelly formulations are the best in prolonging crystallization to help improve the shelf life and quality of these products for candy manufacturers.

Review on Sensor based Colour Sorting Robot for Candy Manufacturing

In this work, a new approach for high speed sorting of candy into desired locations is introduced. In this work color sorting of candy is done by detecting colour and the edges of given image which are of similar colours. The colour sensor TCS230 detects three colour red,green,blue and black(no colour). When there is no candy in front of the sensor it produces an output of 330Hz range frequency and when there is a candy it produces an output frequency of 7-14 kHz.The microcontroller can find the frequency of the output from TCS230. The output is obtained by sorting the color of candy depending on the frequency analysis of the output of the TCS230 sensor in the Conveyor system.This work focuses on literature review of sensor based colour sorting robot for candy manufacturing.

Selling organic candy: multimodal critical discourse analysis of commercial websites

PurposeThis paper examines how organic candies are marketed as healthy and ethical choices on commercial websites through the use of visual, rhetorical and promotional strategies.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses social semiotics and multimodal critical discourse analysis to identify the narratives and discursive traits that organic candy manufacturers reproduce on their websites as part of their ethical branding policy. The dataset is formed by 10 websites that commercialize organic confectionery.FindingsThe findings indicate that sellers try to associate organic candy to healthiness, simple and traditional lifestyles and social awareness to distinguish themselves from their competitors. Often the ethical claims that organic candy websites reproduce are not justified.Research limitations/implicationsA major limitation of this study is that the investigation does not evaluate the effectiveness of rhetorical and discursive strategies on real consumer decisions. Further research of an ethnographic or empirical nature would be required for this purpose.Practical implicationsThis study recognizes the strategies that organic candy sellers reproduce can help consumers make more informed choices. From the point of view of marketers, understanding the multimodal, rhetorical and discursive strategies that organic candy brands employ can be useful to devise their own marketing approaches.Originality/valueThe investigation contributes to a growing body of research about multimodal critical discourse analysis within food marketing studies. To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first paper that analyses organic candy branding from a multimodal perspective.

Sustainable performance of cold-set gelation in the confectionery manufacturing and its effects on perception of sensory quality of jelly candies

Finding new technologies for enhance the sustainable confectionery production is desirable. In this context the cold-set gelation emerges as potential tool for the jelly candy industry. This study evaluated sustainability aspects of alginate/pectin cold-set gelation technique in the jelly candy manufacturing process and its impacts in sensory quality of the obtained products. The energy requirement and the CO 2 emissions of cold-set jelly candy processing were measured, comparing to the conventional jelly candy manufacturing process. The produced candies were evaluated in relation to the bioactive compounds content (ascorbic acid, total phenolic and total anthocyanin compounds) and sensorially evaluated in acceptance tests wherein healthy and environmental sustainability labeling were put to the test. A questionnaire of purchase behavior was also applied to voluntary consumers. The results indicated the cold-set processing had lower energy demand (99 times lower) and gas emission (300 times lower) compared to the conventional manufacturing. Cold-set jellies showed about 3.3 times more phenolic compounds and 1.22 times more acid ascorbic content than pectin jellies. The consumer informed high interest and willing to pay more in jelly candy with sustainability labeling, however they showed low knowledge and frequency of consumption of these products. Results from the sensory acceptance test showed no significant difference (p ​< ​0.05) between the candies regarding the attributes, but when sustainable claims were labeled it was verified an increasing in the sensory acceptance for appearance, texture and overall impression of the cold-set candies, suggesting the sustainable marketing potential of cold-set jelly candy manufacturing processing. • Cold-set jellies had an ingredient cost 0.2 times higher than pectin jellies. • Cold-set jellies had a processing energy demand 99 times lower than pectin jellies. • Cold-set jellies processing had 300 times less CO2 emissions than pectin jellies. • Sustainable claims had positive impact on sensory acceptance of cold-set jellies. • Consumers informed high interest but low knowledge about sustainability labeling.

Alginate/pectin cold-set gelation as a potential sustainable method for jelly candy production

The reduction of environmental waste emissions and energy consumption in the confectionery industry is desirable. Therefore, this study evaluated the potential of alginate/pectin cold-set gelation technique in the jelly candy manufacturing process. The obtained products were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy and the parameters evaluated were the process energy requirements, sensory acceptance, and physicochemical characteristics (instrumental texture and color, moisture content, pH, and water activity). These parameters were compared to those of a standard pectin jelly candy. The gelling agents considerably influenced the physicochemical parameters of the candies. Alginate/pectin jellies showed a higher hardness value (16.2 N) and an opaque and lighter coloring compared to the pectin jelly candy (6.2 N). There was a dense and homogeneous network with a large amount of pores in cold-set candies, which differed from the sparse network with micelles and large pores in pectin jellies. The energy requirement of the cold-set process (0.013 kWh) was statistically lower than the conventional heating process (0.035 kWh). There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) between the alginate/pectin jellies and pectin candies for all sensory attributes evaluated, indicating that the cold-set gelation technique could be an alternative sustainable technology for the production of jelly candy.

Acceptability of Bilimbi (Averrhoa Bilimbi) Candy

The study has been conducted to determine the acceptability of Bilimbi Candy. The product testing was participated by 120 respondents. The benchmark test was evaluated by the researchers themselves together with 29 students of Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management and 10 faculty members. After the benchmark test, a pilot test was conducted to 40 students from the College of Business Management and Accountancy. After administering the pilot test, the researcherss conducted the final test which was then participated by 40 respondents of Eastern Samar State University Guiuan Campus. These respondents was composed of students and instructors who evaluated the characteristics of Bilimbi Candy in terms of taste, aroma, color, texture, appearance and general acceptability through the use of score cards. The result of the study revealed that the quality of the product was interpreted as highly acceptable in all 3 trials. Based on the findings of the study, the Bilimbi fruit, locally known in the Philippines as kamias in Tagalog/Filipino (National Language of the Philippines) and Iba in Waray –waray (Local dialect of Guiuan, Eastern Samar) is good to be used as flavoring for candy. The result of the study highly recommends that the local street vendors and candy manufacturers may add bilimbi fruit as one of the flavors for their products.

Effect of differently processed açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) on the retention of phenolics and anthocyanins in chewy candies

SummaryThis study investigated the effects of processing and storage on the physicochemical properties and retention of antioxidant compounds of no‐added sucrose chewy candies (NASC) incorporated with differently processed açai (frozen pulp, spray‐dried and freeze‐dried powders). NASC containing freeze‐dried açai had the highest softness and recoveries of total phenolic (TP) and total anthocyanin (TA) immediately after production. Colour parameters and antioxidant capacity by ABTS and ORAC assays had no significant differences after 6 months of NASC storage, except for ORAC in NASC containing spray‐dried açai, whereas DPPH• in all samples significantly increased. Water activity and hardness also increased after storage, whereas TP and TA contents decreased, despite presenting good retentions (approx. 72–78% TP and 84–99% TA). This study suggests that açai has a great potential to be used as a natural pigment and antioxidant source in candy manufacturing, meeting consumption trends towards healthier products.

Ruminal degradation of dry matter and neutral detergent fiber of banana peel treated with limestone

This study aimed to evaluate the kinetics of dry matter degradation and neutral detergent fiber of banana peel treated with limestone. The banana peel has been acquired from a candy manufacturer that after washing with chlorinated water to 1% and pulp removal was discarded. The banana peel in nature was treated with 1, 2, 3 and 4% of limestone in the natural matter, homogenized and pre-dried in the sun for 120 hours. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized experimental design, with five treatments (0 (control), 1, 2, 3 and 4% inclusion of limestone) with 3 repetitions. The dry matter potential degradability, showed no difference (P&gt;0.05) in the levels compared to the control with an average of 67.58%. The insoluble degradation fraction rate of dry matter and the fiber fraction did not differ (P&gt; 0.05) between levels and control. In relation to effective degradability of neutral detergent fiber, there was an increase of 3.47% for each percentage unit increased limestone. In relation to the ruminal degradation parameters of dry matter and neutral detergent fiber is not recommended the utilization of limestone as an additive in the treatment of banana peel.

Dear health care lobbyists . . .

Dear health care lobbyists . . .

Process Optimization of Candy Production Based on Data Mining

There are complicated correlations between process parameters and quality indicators in candy manufacturing. The objective of this work is to develop an optimization system of candy production process to improve final candy quality and to increase production efficiency. The study is conducted by using an artificial neural network data mining method to obtain optimization knowledge of process parameters from large amount of saved process data. The software platform including data processing, statistic analysis, data mining and graphical display module was developed and the quality forecasting models for typical processing operations were discussed. Experiments indicated that the system can optimize and predict the quality of candy production process effectively.

SUCROSE INVERSION OF HARD CANDIES FORMULATED WITH REWORK SYRUP WITH ADDITION OF SODIUM LACTATE

ABSTRACT This work investigated the use of rework syrup with addition of sodium lactate in hard candy manufacturing, following the inversion of sucrose in hard candies where 10% of the glucose syrup of the formulation was substituted by the rework syrup. Moisture, mass net gain, water activity and visual inspection of crystallization and cold melt were carried out in the final product. The candies prepared with rework syrup with up to 4 g of sodium lactate solution/100 g presented lower pH, decrease of sucrose content and increase in glucose and fructose concentrations. The increase in fructose content was followed by an increase in net weight of the candies, inducing crystallization and cold melt. The addition of 2 g of sodium lactate/100 g in the rework syrup and 2/100 g in the final syrup before cooking was effective in reducing inversion of sucrose. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSThe occurrence of products that are out of specification is common in manufacturing hard candy. Usually, these products are dissolved again in water and are filtered, the aroma and dyes are removed and the resulting syrup, called rework syrup, is used in the preparation of new sucrose syrup for hard candy production. However, the addition of rework syrup to the formulation of new candies creates a problem, as the sucrose in this syrup may have been partially hydrolyzed, yielding glucose and fructose. The resulting hard candy would then have a high fructose content, which will induce crystallization and cold melt of the candy, decreasing its shelf life. The results of this work show that the rework syrup could be improved by the addition of a buffering agent, sodium lactate, which decreases the rate of sucrose hydrolysis, improving the quality of the resulting candies, as well as their shelf life.

Pitfall in the determination of the dietary fibre content and nutritional value of food products

Dietary fibre and nutritional value of food in a broad variety of matrices are frequently requested analyses. In the situation that the analysing laboratory is not informed about the addition of specific ingredients such as low-molar weight dietary fibre ingredients/prebiotics (e.g. inulin/FOS, GOS, resistant maltodextrins) for the fortification purposes of the dietary fibre content in the product, erroneous results can be obtained. In this paper two case studies dealing with this problem are described. The case studies concern firstly a local industrial bakery who tried to develop a healthier product with an increased dietary fibre content and a lower nutritional value and secondly a candy manufacturer.

Advanced Pretreatment Enables MBBR Treatment of High Strength Candy Manufacturing Wastewater

Bimbo – Ricolino candy manufacturing plant in Mexico City was discharging wastewater with high amount of fats oil and grease and dissolved sugars. Local regulatory agency requested that suspended solids, oil and grease and dissolved BOD be almost completely removed prior to discharge to municipal plant. The available real estate in Mexico City was very limited. A multistep treatment system was designed and installed. System includes self cleaning rotary drum screen, grease trap, flocculation – flotation, UASB anaerobic reactor, moving bed biofilm reactor, clarifier and multimedia filters. Most of the time system can remove TSS, FOG and BOD almost completely. Occasionally when chocolate candy is manufactured extremely high BOD’s are present in the waste stream. On such occasions, residual BOD’s are somewhat higher. Home made modifications to both bioreactors (combination of fixed and suspended media) increased the system performance during such high BOD episodes.

Lead: Sweet Candy, Bitter Poison

For years, scientists and health experts have traced child lead exposures to paint, leaded gasoline, soils, dust, lead-soldered cans and water pipes, and lead-glazed pottery. More recently, tests have shown that something as presumably innocuous as candies—specifically certain ones made in Mexico—may also be a source of toxic lead. Efforts are under way to combat this source of exposure, but success to date has varied. Lead poisoning causes a host of problems, many worse in children, including decreased intelligence, impaired neurobehavioral development, stunted physical growth, hearing impairment, and kidney problems. Blood lead levels as low as 10 micrograms per deciliter (μg/dL) are known to cause adverse health effects. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that children under age 6 consume less than 6.0 μg lead daily from all food sources. Since the early 1990s, the FDA, the California Department of Health Services, and independent laboratories have shown that certain Mexican candies contain sometimes hazardous levels of lead. Historically, some Mexican candy manufacturers have had two versions of their product lines: a cleaner version that meets FDA standards and is designed for export to the United States, and a dirtier—and cheaper—version for the Mexican market. The latter is imported via the “grey market”—pickup trucks that drive shipments over the border to small, family-owned stores, particularly in California, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. These stores serve local Latinos, who enjoy the comfort and familiarity of candy from home. The huge number of these small, informal shipments makes surveillance very difficult. Yet according to the San Diego–based nonprofit Environmental Health Coalition, California has traced 15% of its child lead poisoning cases to lead-contaminated candy—roughly the same percentage attributed to lead-based paint. Lead-glazed clay pots and candy wrappers printed with lead-based ink were the focus of the FDA’s earliest tests. Tamarind candy packaged in lead-glazed pots elevated blood lead levels in some children to 40–50 μg/dL. And in May 2001, the FDA cautioned consumers to stay away from tamarind Bolirindo lollipops. Tests had found lead concentrations of 21,000 parts per million (ppm) in the lollipops’ wrappers. California and FDA officials have also found lead in a common ingredient in many Mexican candies—chili powder. Several potential contamination sources have been suggested: soil residue from fields, air-drying or storage where the chilies can accumulate dust from exhaust emissions, metal particles accumulated during the grinding process, and drying over open petrochemical fires. One chili-coated candy tested by the FDA, Chaca Chaca, contained as much as 0.3–0.4 μg lead per gram of product, with one piece of candy alone weighing 35 grams. Public health and advocacy groups have had some success in warning consumers about lead-contaminated candy, and other efforts to solve the problem are under way. In July 2004, California attorney general Bill Lockyer sued Mexican candy manufacturers and distributors, including two subsidiaries of the Virginia-based Mars candy company, for neglecting to advise consumers that many of their products contain lead. A statement issued by the defendants’ counsel downplayed the extent and gravity of the problem, insisting the companies complied fully with U.S. and international food safety laws. “Traces of minerals such as lead are . . . found in virtually all foods, including fish, meats, grains, fruits and vegetables, and candy,” the statement read. “People have been eating those foods safely for generations.” Earlier in the summer, California assemblyman Marco Firebaugh proposed a bill that would have banned candies containing more than 0.2 ppm. But the bill died on the floor in August, in large part because other law makers felt the 0.2-ppm safety margin could undermine the Lockyer lawsuit. The FDA continues to work with the Mexican government to identify the agricultural and manufacturing practices that cause the contamination, although Mexico largely does not have the analytical support, laboratories, and instrumentation to carry out the necessary product testing. Because this contamination appears to be avoidable, the FDA is proposing to lower the amount of lead allowed in candy products and ingredients in the near future.

Effect of texture and microstructure on flavour retention and release

Abstract A review is given of the effects of texture and (micro)structure on the retention of aroma compounds during processing and storage and on the aroma release and perception during consumption. Examples are given of the effect of viscosity on flavour retention in model systems and during fluid bed drying. Further, there are examples of the effect of product inhomogeneity on flavour retention and release, covering the retention of volatiles during hard candy manufacturing and the entrapment of the volatile compounds in the lipid and hydrophilic phase during baking of crackers. Examples of the effect of encapsulation on flavour retention are also given with special attention being paid to the effect of capsule structure. Texture and microstructure have less influence on the flavour release during consumption, because the microenvironment of the flavour compounds is broken down to a consistency that is suitable to be swallowed. Nevertheless, here too examples can be given that show the effect of texture and microstructure on the release of liquid and encapsulated flavourings.