Candies are sweet products made by cooking a mixture of glucose syrup and sugar with aromas and extracts from herbs, aromatic plants, fruits, juices and flavorings.
For a long time, candies and, all confectionery products in general, were consumed exclusively among royals and aristocrats. It was only in the second half of the 19th century that these products began to spread amongst a wider public, thanks to the expansion of small workshops that increased their production until becoming small industries. Between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, confectioners began to wrap the candies to protect them and make them more attractive. The most successful period for candies came after the First World War, when confectioners began to produce a wide range of candies with different shapes and flavors.
Today, artisanal candy production is developing to meet professional standards, maintaining the artisanal quality even in large-scale production. High-quality candy production requires reliable equipment, precise processes, and strict quality control. Artisanal candy production requires streamlined processes and the use of professional machinery to ensure an excellent final product.
Types of candies and production process
- Traditional candies, which are either hard or filled, are mainly made of sugar and flavorings and are produced quickly. The process involves mixing and automatically weighing sugar and glucose, heating up the syrup to about 110°C, and then cooking it up to 130°C in a vacuum cooker to reduce the moisture. Flavorings are then added to the condensed sugar mixture, which is cooled and moulded. Moulding can be by extrusion or pressing.
- Fondant caramels require a longer process, that can take up to five days, with particular attention to the crystallization of the sugar to achieve the perfect consistency. They are beaten and cooled. Fondant caramels are sugar glazed right before they are packed to maintain the right moisture.
- Tofees, invented by a Parisian confectioner, contain cream and vegetable fats and are extruded and cooled. The gummy candies, which are soft and elastic thanks to their high percentage of gum Arabic, are formed after adding flavorings and acidifiers.
- The sugar candy tablets are produced through a cold process, mixing powdered sugar with gum tragacanth and gum Arabic. Finally, the licorice is extracted from the roots and combined with sugar to create soft or gummy candies.
- Fruit jellies contain pectin and fruit pulp, with no added preservatives or emulsifiers..
Artisanal candy production: an overview
Artisanal candies are known for their texture, authentic flavor, and customizable shapes. The most common types include gummy, hard, soft, and filled candies, each with its own production complexities. The key ingredients include sugars, jellifiers such as gelatin, pectin, and agar, as well as natural flavors and colors. Unlike homemade production, professional production requires strict control of temperature, dosing, and traceability.
Techniques and stages of the candy production process
Candy production involves different stages and techniques, each with their own purpose and advantages:
Mixing and weighing ingredients: a key step to guarantee uniform consistency of the finished product through the mixing and accurate weighing of the ingredients.
- Controlled cooking: crucial for developing the desired flavour and consistency, carefully monitoring the process to avoid burns or flaws.
- Moulding or shaping: pouring the mixture into moulds or shaping it gives the candies their distinctive shape.
- Cooling/drying: crucial for hardening the candies and maintaining their shape.
- Coating (sugars, acids, natural waxes): enhances the flavor and improves shelf life.
- Packaging: protects the candies and preserves their freshness, while ensuring an eye-catching finish for the consumer.
Alternative techniques: Depositing, Extrusion, Starch Moulding, and Silicone Moulding are considered alternatives because each is suited to specific production requirements and types of candy. Let’s take a closer look at them:
- Depositing: consists of pouring the candy mixture directly into the moulds, ideal for more precise shapes or filled candies.
- Extrusion: refers to pushing the mixture through a die to create long, uniform shapes, which are then cut to the desired length, perfect for simple candies and mass production.
- Starch moulding: uses moulds made of starch to shape the candies, ideal for products with a matte surface or elaborate shapes, thanks to the versatility of the material.
- Silicone moulding: used in reusable moulds that provide excellent detail definition and easy candy stripping, especially ideal for smaller, artisanal production runs.
Quality control at every stage is essential to ensure consistency, shape, flavor and hygiene.
The must-have equipment for professional candy production
For professional candy production, you shall have:
- Cookers with mixing system
- Mixers with automatic control
- Moulding and depositing equipment
Automation and programmability are paramount, along with facility modularity and ease of sanitisation. You may consider implementing digital monitoring solutions and traceability systems to improve the overall efficiency.
How to guarantee quality of artisanal candies
Controlling parameters such as humidity, temperature and dosing is crucial. HACCP protocols and food certifications (ISO, IFS, BRC) are imperative. Sensory testing and chemical-physical analyses ensure that colour, texture and taste are in line with brand values. The use of certified and traceable ingredients is fundamental, and laboratory testing can offer significant advantages.
Customized products: variety, shape, flavor
Adopting innovative strategies and advanced technologies help you make artisanal yet replicable products.
- Adopting innovative strategies and advanced technologies help you make artisanal yet replicable products.
- Custom shapes and moulds: using tailor-made shapes and moulds allows you to create unique candies that express the brand’s identity, while ensuring consistent and replicable production.
- Natural flavourings and vegetable colourings: using natural flavourings and vegetable colourings not only enhances the authentic taste of the candies, but also ensures that each batch maintains the same organoleptic properties.
- Vegan options (pectin, agar-agar): offering vegan candy options made with jellying agents like pectin and agar-agar helps you expand your market by meeting the needs of customers who are more and more focused on ethical food choices.
- Recipes: ensuring the replicability of recipes is crucial. The professional cooker Cucimix by Firex, thanks to the Firex Touch Control technology, can store multi-phase recipes and replicate them accurately every time, ensuring that each candy maintains the same level of quality and taste. With this advanced system, the process is automated, leading to fewer human errors and ensuring efficient, high-quality production.
Frequently asked questions about professional candy production
What’s the difference between home-made and industrial production?
An artisanal candy machine is typically designed for small-scale productions and offers greater versatility in recipe customization. It is ideal for small workshops or boutiques that want to maintain an artisanal touch. On the other hand, an industrial plant is intended for large-scale productions, with high production capacity and a high degree of automation, efficiency and product standardization. In this sense, having scalable capacity cookers represents an interesting solution. Cucimix by Firex can support both small and large productions, thanks to a wide range that varies from 30 litres to 500 litres.
Can you mass-produce vegan candies?
Yes, you can produce vegan candies on a lrge scale using alternative ingredients like pectin and agar-agar instead of animal-based gelatine. Modern equipment supports vegan production, making sure the candies meet the needs of a growing market that’s into plant-based products.
How do you keep consistent quality in large-scale artisanal production?
Maintaining consistent quality in large-scale artisanal production requires strict control of production parameters such as temperature, humidity and dosage. Adopting advanced technologies such as the Firex Touch Control allows you to store and accurately replicate multi-step recipes. Furthermore, quality control protocols, sensory tests and chemical-physical analyses help to ensure that each batch meets the set standards.
Wanna learn more about artisanal candy production? Firex can help you design your own line. Contact us.
