New products are helping manufacturers meet halal, ethical and health requirements.
Dated: 1 April 2008
BY LAWRENCE LOW, CONFECTIONERY CATEGORY MANAGER, SOUTH EAST ASIA & SOUTH ASIA, AREA COMMERCIAL MANAG
For decades, gelatin has been used as a texturizing, gelling and stabilizing agent in confectionery. Today however, the volatility of gelatin prices and Muslim dietary needs means that confectioners are on the hunt for cost-effective alternatives. Fortunately, a wide range of hydrocolloids and starches exist, allowing confectioners to develop novel textures for gelled sweets.
Gelatin is best known for its use in fruit jellies or gums—a much-loved international institution. In these sweets, gelatin provides an elastic, resilient texture, with good clarity and a certain melt-in-the-mouth quality. (On the flipside, one weakness of traditional fruit gums is the partial melting and sticking together that happens during storage in warm temperatures.) In whipped confectionery like marshmallows and chewy candy, gelatin builds texture during the whipping process and then stabilizes the foam. Thus, the replacement of gelatin in jellies or aerated confectionery requires a multi-functional stabilizer to retain the texture, clarity, aeration and the precise melting behaviors required. While no one product can match gelatin in all its applications, there are promising options available in most types of confectionery production.
Remaking jellies and fruit gums
Modified starches are available in a broad range of possibilities, and offer one strategy for gelatin replacement, especially for jellies. In order to retain an acceptable texture, gelatin can be replaced up to 30 percent, with only slight modifications to the original processing methods. In the past, starch jellies were rather opaque, but recent improvements have vastly improved transparency, making it much closer to the visual effect of gelatine. Thus, today’s starches have little or no impact on clarity at these inclusion levels.
Cargill starches such as the C*ClearSet range are already being used in combination with gelatin as a partial replacement—up to 30 percent—in gummy jellies. With C*ClearSet, Cargill can offer two distinctive benefits: cost reduction, and improvement to gummy jellies by increasing the meltdown of the confectionery to well above 50 degrees Celsius (this is in comparison to conventional gelatin gummy jellies which start to melt at 40 degrees Celsius). Maltodextrins such as in the C*Dry maltodextrin range can also be used as a partial replacement of gelatin in gummed confectionery, at about 10 to 20 percent. In wine gums, where starch and gelatin are used in combination, Cargill’s C*ClearSet can be used to replace both the original starch and the gelatin to offer a completely gelatinfree wine gum.
Carrageenans are also increasingly being used in jelly confectionery, either as a direct gelatin replacement, or more frequently, to create new textures with their superior elasticity. The correct choice of carrageenan is vital to create the texture and behavior required. Recent developments allow the production of textures that are very close to those of gelatin, with excellent clarity and without the risk of melting in distribution and storage. Indeed, use of carrageenans opens the door to play with the texture of gums and jellies.
Cargill’s Satiagel PG range of carrageenans offers the possibility to replace gelatin or to explore new textures. The higher setting temperatures of these carrageenans may require some modification to the traditional gelatin processing method to avoid pre-gelation of the carrageenan before depositing. However, this modification also solves the problem of melting and stickiness in distribution and storage. Satiagel PG carrageenans have vegetarian, kosher and halal accreditation.
Refashioning aerated & chewy confectionery
In replacing gelatin in chewy candy, maltodextrins from the Cargill C*Dry MD range can be used as a partial replacement with no signifi cant change to behavior or texture. However, total gelatin replacement is not feasible at present with this range without signifi cant alteration to the product.
However, C*Dry maltodextrins, used in combination with C*ProGel (a hydrolyzed wheat gluten) offer a full gelatin replacement solution in chewy candies, with no major impact on the process or final texture. On the other hand, pectins such as the Cargill Unipectine PG series are used for tender biting foamed confectionery. While they do not create the elastic, rather tough texture of traditional mallows made with gelatin, the resulting texture has less aeration and is more delicate. This makes pectin-derived foamed products highly suitable for chocolate-covered applications of a premium nature.
Conclusion
Once a new taste or texture sensation is invented, the new baseline product becomes a springboard for further innovation and product variation, allowing confectioners to satisfy the never-ending desire for “chewy treats with a difference”. The use of starches and hydrocolloids is already producing some very interesting results. The resultant textures often take precedence, rather than the goal of simply replacing gelatin. Topical examples include different formats for jellies, such as double or triple layers and even filled jellies.
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