Among the most popular are hard and soft caramels. The two types differ in the water content of their mass. Soft caramels contain about 10% residual water content, resulting in their chewable consistency.
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Soft Caramel Extrusion: Mixing, Kneading and Pulling in One Process Step
Candies are widely beloved and represent one of the most lucrative segments in the confection industry. Using a continuous process with the co-rotating twin screw extruder from Gabler Engineering can optimize the production process.
The basic ingredients of soft caramel mass, or that of any chewable candy, include water, glucose syrup and gelatin, along with sugar. In the first step, the mass is cooked until it reaches the desired consistency. Traditionally, manufacturing includes several steps involving mixing and pulling machines to achieve the desired consistency, the appropriate flavor and the desired appearance.
New processes, in contrast, rely upon a continuous extrusion process, for example utilizing the co-rotating twin screw extruder from Gabler Engineering. Using this process, various manufacturing steps can take place on a single machine. First, the cooked mass is cooled to approximately 60 °C (140 °F) and added continuously into the extruder. Using high-accuracy feeders, colorings and aromatics are added in the desired quantities. The extruder uniformly distributes and mixes these materials, achieving a very homogeneous mass.
One significant step in chewable candy manufacturing is called pulling; the mass is repeatedly stretched and folded, working air into the mass. This procedure results in an end product with a lighter, softer texture. It also helps to break up sugar crystals, leading to a smoother consistency and a silky sheen. In the continuous manufacturing process, the extruder replaces this pulling process; introducing air into the mass in the process section. A specialized screw configuration consisting of a combination of screw profiles takes care of the individual mixing and kneading process steps to produce a mass with the desired consistency and flavor. Following processing in the extruder, the finished mass is cooled again and formed.
Gabler Engineering offers various extruder sizes for this candy manufacturing process step, from laboratory size with throughputs of 40 kg/h, up to 1 t/h in larger production machines. Every Gabler extruder is modified individually to the customer’s requirements and needs. As an example, the machine length and thus the individual process steps can vary depending upon the manufacturing process and the process architecture. For chewable candy manufacturing, typically a length of 14D, or 14 times that of the screw diameter, is used. The extruder’s double wall maintains the required temperature during the process, or, in the case of soft caramel manufacturing, allows the mass to cool there. One or more tempering units are mounted onto specific zones for this purpose.
The extruder’s process sections can be opened manually or automatically for cleaning, allowing for rapid product changes and flexibility in screw handling. Moreover, the equipment can be integrated into a complete line or operated as standalone units.
Would you like to know more about how we can optimize your manufacturing process with our extruder solutions? Contact us!
Your Contact
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Patrick Gabler
Sales Director Gabler Engineering
- email: p.gabler@gablermade.com
- telephone: +49 7246 9250 67