Higher quality, consistency and efficiency, with an addition of increased output in a more hygiene environment, are the highlights of the new Baker Perkins starch-free cooking and depositing line for 3D jellies installed by Indian company Mala’s. It has also created opportunities for the company in the healthcare market.
Mala’s is a 60-year-old family owned company based near Pune in Maharashtra. It specialises in processed fruit products that include jam, crushes, mocktails, syrups, squashes, sauces and honey. Their signature confectionery product is a strawberry-shaped and flavoured soft pectin jelly, utilising local fruit and sugar.
This product had been made on two low-output Chinese depositors, and was marketed under Mala’s brand and by other companies via co-packing. With demand for their own brand high, and additional enquiries for co-packing, Mala’s had reached a point at which expansion was imperative.
A choice would have been to install an additional low-output depositor, but after contact with Baker Perkins’ Indian agent 3P Solutions, followed by trials in the Baker Perkins Innovation Centre at Peterborough, it became clear that by switching to a single high-output line not only would Mala’s achieve the increase in output they needed, but they would also see improvements in product quality, production efficiency and line reliability that would take the business to a higher level.
The 850 kg/hour Microfilm cooking and ServoForm depositing line now commissioned at Mala’s made a rapid impact. It has more capacity than two previous depositing lines combined, and also provides greater product flexibility with the cooker and depositor able to produce a wider range of soft confectionery recipes. For instance, carrageenan could be added to give a firmer texture, and fruit pastes can be readily handled. The moulds can be changed easily, enabling the product range to be expanded and as well as 3D jellies the line may also be used to produce 2D shapes, simply by changing the moulds.
Quality of definition of the 3D strawberry product is markedly improved. This, and the reputation of the ServoForm depositor, led to enquiries from potential new customers in the healthcare sector where jellies fortified with vitamins, Omega 3, minerals, fibre, protein and energy supplements is a niche growth sector.
The benefits of starch-free depositing in delivering consistency size, weight and appearance – crucially in a totally hygienic environment – have led to rapid expansion of jellies and gummies in the healthcare sector, where high quality supports high pricing and healthcare positioning.
3D jellies can be deposited in one or two colours; with stripes and layers; with solid or soft centre-fills; and with inclusions such as real fruit pieces. The process uses quick-setting jelly formulations, typically pectin- or carrageenan-based. Intricate 3D shapes are not possible with a starch moulding system such as a mogul, which can only handle two-dimensional jellies with a flat top or base.
Depositing is increasingly the process of choice for confectioners who are looking to develop original, high-quality jellies. It is suitable for starch, starch gelatine or pectin jellies in solid, striped, layered or centre-filled varieties. Simultaneous production of several different products will be possible as depositing offers quality and production flexibility. Besides, depositing offers substantially lower capital and operating costs than traditional methods such as starch moguls, die forming, or cut-and-wrap.
