Gelling agents play a crucial role in confectionery, contributing to texture, stability, and sensory appeal. From gummies to marshmallows and fruit jellies, these hydrocolloids define the structure and mouthfeel of countless sweets. However, their application is far from straightforward. Manufacturers face a range of technical challenges, from achieving consistent gel strength to ensuring process efficiency and stability across varying environmental conditions. Additionally, the push for cleaner labels, plant-based alternatives, and reduced sugar formulations further complicates gelling agent selection and performance.
The industry’s response to these challenges has seen a wave of innovation, with ingredient suppliers developing tailored solutions to enhance performance and meet shifting consumer expectations.
Gel Strength and Texture Control
One of the most critical challenges in confectionery formulation is achieving the desired gel strength and texture while maintaining product stability and sensory appeal. Gelatin, traditionally the most widely used gelling agent in confectionery, provides elasticity, a smooth melt-in-the-mouth sensation, and excellent clarity. However, its functionality is highly dependent on factors such as temperature, pH, sugar concentration, and processing conditions. For instance, gelatin’s gel strength can vary significantly between different bloom grades, affecting chewiness and mouthfeel in gummy and jelly confectionery.
The challenge becomes even more pronounced when replacing gelatin with plant-based hydrocolloids, which do not exhibit the same thermo-reversible properties or elasticity. Hydrocolloids like pectin, agar, carrageenan, and starch each have unique setting characteristics that influence texture, firmness, and stability. For example, pectin is widely used in fruit jellies and gummies due to its ability to form a gel in the presence of calcium or acid, while agar sets more firmly but lacks the chewiness of gelatin. Manufacturers must carefully balance ingredient interactions, hydration times, and processing parameters to achieve the desired structure and mouthfeel.
To address these challenges, several manufacturers have developed specialised solutions tailored to different confectionery applications.
GELITA AG, for example, has been at the forefront of gelatin innovation, offering a wide range of bloom strengths to optimise elasticity, texture, and clarity in confectionery. Their portfolio includes specialty gelatins that improve aeration in marshmallows, enhance the chewiness of gummies, and provide a controlled melting profile for unique sensory experiences. GELITA has also introduced solutions designed to improve stability and reduce stickiness in gummy formulations, ensuring better processability and shelf life.
Additionally, Herbstreith & Fox GmbH & Co. KG, a global producer of pectin solutions, has developed highly functional pectin products tailored to fruit-based confections, jams, and jellies. Their pectin portfolio includes both high-methoxyl (HM) and low-methoxyl (LM) pectins, allowing manufacturers to fine-tune gelation speed, firmness, and stability under varying sugar and acid conditions. Herbstreith & Fox has also focused on optimising pectin for plant-based confectionery, ensuring that vegan gummies achieve the right balance of chewiness and clarity without gelatin.
Meanwhile, Gino Gums & Stabilizers specialises in hydrocolloid blends designed to enhance textural properties across a range of confectionery applications. Their formulations incorporate agar, carrageenan, locust bean gum, and modified starches to create tailored solutions for both traditional and plant-based products. Gino Gums offers blends that mimic gelatin’s mouthfeel, improving elasticity in vegan-friendly confectionery without compromising process efficiency or stability. Their hydrocolloid combinations are particularly useful in achieving the right balance of snap, chew, and clarity in non-gelatin gummies, marshmallows, and soft candies.
Through advancements in gelatin modification, pectin refinement, and hydrocolloid blending, these companies are helping confectionery manufacturers overcome the technical challenges of gel strength and texture control. Whether enhancing the elasticity of gelatin-based confections or fine-tuning the firmness of plant-based alternatives, ingredient specialists continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in modern candy production.
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Joseph Clarke
Editor, International Confectionery
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Email: editor@in-confectionery.com
