Wacker debuts chewing gum mold for changing shapes
Dr Alessandro Capuani, business development manager, gum specialties, Wacker, told ConfectioneryNews the colors, raw materials and ingredients in chewing gum are always changing but their shapes have been limited to sticks, candy-coated pellets and gumballs.
Capiva C 03
Its Capiva C 03 (a copolymer-resin containing composition) is insoluble in water and the premix can be melted down and blended into a sugar compound in a variety of molds.
The raw material lets manufacturers cook chewing-gum-like candy and shape it however they want instead of going through an elaborate mixing process.
“We can vary the formulation and the process parameters to make the product harder or softer. But Capiva C 03 gives us greater versatility when it comes to the formulation,” said Capuani.
“Another advantage is the cooking process allows formulators to use a number of liquid ingredients that could not be used in the conventional process.
“By offering new moldable chewing-gum products, we hope to encourage our customers to bring more variety to the candy aisle without having to neglect classic chewing gum.”
Bosch Makat Candy Technology
The process also works on an industrial scale, and Wacker has partnered with Bosch Makat Candy Technology, a subsidiary of Bosch Packaging Technology near Cologne, Germany, to carry out a pilot on the technology.
“Thanks to Capiva C 03, we had to spend very little on additional plant components. So producing a huge variety of shapes is no problem on our existing mogul line,” said Patrick Knoll, Bosch Makat Candy, who worked on process- engineering issues with Dr. Capuani in the Gum department of Wacker Biosolutions.
Bosch Confectionery Technology specializes in developing and constructing mogul lines for large-scale manufacturing of gummy bears, jelly candies, etc.
Wacker’s mogul process is suitable for a range of confectionery products, such as jellies, gummy candies, marshmallow candies, soft candies and fondants – and now for chewing gum.
Dr Capuani also talked about creating new flavors for its Candy2Gum products including a chocolate-mint chewing gum, which has chocolate on one side and mint flavor on the other. Wacker now has the technology to incorporate real cocoa, which was not possible with chewing gum before.
