The Technology of Hard Candy

Walter Vink
Resident
Course in
Confectionery
Technology

HARD CANDY
WHAT IS IT??

HARD CANDY
Definitions

*An organic glass

*An amorphous solid
*A supersaturated solution of sugars
*A highly concentrated solution of sugars

HARD CANDY TYPES

Drops,
Rolled,
Sticks,
Lollypops
Ribbon
Brittles
Toffees

Balls, Starlights
LifeSavers, Jolly Rancher
Novelties, Candy canes
solid & filled

INGREDIENTS

Candy Base
Sugar ingredients

Sugar: sucrose
Glucose syrup: corn or potato
Invert sugar: dextrose, fructose

PROPERTIES OF HARD CANDY AS A FUNCTION OF

SUGAR/CORN SYRUP RATIO
100%
100%
CORN SYRUP
SUCROSE

super
highly
saturated <----------------------> concentrated
very
low
sweet <--------------------------> sweetness
high
low
flavor <-----------------------------> flavor
release
release
grain <------------------------------> cold flow
high
low
machinability <-----------------> machinability

11

Candy Base
Other ingredients

Acidulants
Colors
Flavors
Fats
Milk products
Fruit Juice

SELECTION OF A HARD CANDY

BASE
Type of End Product Desired
Type of Cooking Process to be used
Type of Packaging
Desired Flavor Impact and Identity
Economics

CARBOHYDRATE PROFILE
60/40 SUGAR/CORN SYRUP BASE

MONO SAC.
DI SAC.
TRI.
TETRA+

REG.42 DE
Percent composition
8.0
66.0
4.8
21.2

CARBOHYDRATE PROFILE
60/40 SUGAR/CORN SYRUP BASE

PERCENT COMPOSITION
42 HIMALT
42 ACID
MONO
DI
TRI
TETRA

8.0
66.0
4.8
21.2

3.2
77.6
5.2
14.0

PROCESSING

BOILING POINT OF SUCROSE

SOLUTIONS
340
TEMPERATURE

320
300
280
260
240
220
200
40

50

60

70
80
PERCENT SOLIDS

90

100

TEMPERATURE, Deg.C

BOILING POINT OF SUCROSE

SOLUTIONS
180
170
160
150
140
130
120
110
100
40

50

60
70
80
PERCENT SOLIDS

90

100

EFFECT OF ALTITUDE ON
BOILING POINT OF WATER
BOILING POINT DEG.F.

212
210
208
206
204
202
200
198
196

500

2000

3500
5000
ALTITUDE IN FT.

6500

8000

HARD CANDY PROCESSING

COOKING

TYPE

OPERATOR

GAS FIRED

1 PER KETTLE

SIMPLEX
SEMI-CONTIN.

LBS/HR
100

1 PER 2 KETTLES 640

1 PER UNIT

3000

UNIVERSAL BATCH COOKER

SEMI-CONTINUOUS COOKER

Continuous cooker

RECOMMENDED MINIMUM
CORN SYRUP LEVELS
acid converted 42DE syrup

Gas fired open cook

Simplex cooker
Universal Cooker
Semi-continuous cooker
Fully Continuous cooker
Microfilm cooker

0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%

ROTARY DIE FORMER

CHAIN DIE FORMER

CENTER FILLING

KEY PROCESS REACTIONS

REACTIONS DURING
PROCESSING
INVERSION:
Sucrose + Acid + heat---> Dextrose + Fructose
REVERSION:
Monosaccharides + Acid + heat---> Polymers

FINISHED PRODUCT
REACTIONS

DYNAMICS OF SUGAR HARD

CANDY
GRAINING:
WET GRAIN
DRY GRAIN
COLD FLOW

FINISHED PRODUCT
ATTRIBUTES
PTOTAL REDUCING SUGARS (D.E)

PFINISHED MOISTURE CONTENT

SUGAR-FREE
HARD CANDY

Sugar-free Hard Candy Base

Sugar-free Ingredients

PSorbitol: hydrogenated dextrose

PMaltitol Syrup: hydrogenated corn syrup
PIsomalt: hydogenated sucrose isomer
PLactitol: hydrogenated lactose
PPolydextrose: reversion product of dextrose

U.S. CALORIC VALUE OF

BULK SUGAR REPLACERS
SWEETENER
SUCROSE
HSH
MALTITOL
SORBITOL
XYLITOL
LACTITOL
ISOMALT
POLYDEXTROSE
ERYTHRITOL

CALORIES/GRAM
4.0
3.0
3.0
2.6
2.4
2.0
2.0
1.0
0.26

FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF
SUGAR-FREE BULK FILLERS
SORBITOL
SUCROSE ANALOG
XYLITOL
SUCROSE ANALOG
LACTITOL
SUCROSE ANALOG
ISOMALT
SUCROSE ANALOG
MALTITOL
SUCROSE ANALOG
MALTITOL SYRUP CORN SYRUP ANALOG
POLY DEXTROSE
CORN SYRUP ANALOG
+CALORIE REDUCTION
ERYTHRITOL
CALORIE REDUCTION

SOME MYTHS ABOUT SUGARFREE HARD CANDY

SUGAR-FREE HARD CANDY IS LESS
STABLE THAN SUGAR HARD CANDY!
IT IS ESSENTIAL TO REMOVE ALL WATER
FROM SUGAR-FREE HARD CANDY!
SUGAR-FREE IS MORE DIFFICULT TO
PROCESS THAN SUGAR HARD CANDY

SUGAR-FREE HARD CANDY IS

LESS STABLE THAN SUGAR
HARD CANDY
ISOMALT HARD CANDY IS MORE STABLE
THAN VIRTUALLY ALL SUGAR HARD
CANDIES.
100% HSH CANDY HAS THE SAME
STABILITY AS 100% CORN SYRUP HARD
CANDY.
LACTITOL HARD CANDY IS AT LEAST AS
STABLE AS SUGAR HARD CANDY.

IT IS ESSENTIAL TO REMOVE
ALL WATER FROM SUGAR -FREE
HARD CANDY
THIS GENERALIZATION IS INCORRECT.
COMMON THINKING FOR SORBITOL
HARD CANDY FOR YEARS WAS "THE
DRIER THE BETTER".
DISCOVERING THAT THERE WAS A
MINIMUM MOISTURE CONTENT OF 2% TO
FACILITATE RAPID SETTING PROVED
THAT POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOLS ARE
DIFFERENT FROM SUGAR IN THAT THEY
HAVE UNIQUE STRUCTURES.

SUGAR-FREE HARD CANDY IS

MORE DIFFICULT TO PROCESS
THAN SUGAR
THIS GENERALIZATION IS NOT TRUE!
THERE ARE DIFFERENCES IN COOK
TEMPERATURE AND VISCOSCITY WHICH
REQUIRE ADJUSTMENTS BUT WHEN
ADDRESSED POSE NO MAJOR
PROBLEMS.
IN SOME RESPECTS SUGAR-FREE BASES
ARE EASIER TO PROCESS DUE TO

SOME KEY DIFFERENCES

BETWEEN
SUGAR AND SUGAR-FREE HARD
CANDY
PSugar candy is more sensitive to high
temperature.
PSugar candy is subject to browning.
PSucrose candy is subject to inversion.
PSugar candy is subject to reversion at high
temperature.
PSucrose will decompose atmospherically above
312 degrees F.

KEY DIFFERENCES
PSugar-free candies are heat stable.
PSugar-free candies are not affected by acid but
high temperature exposure of acids may cause
problems due to the breakdown of the acid.
PSugar-free candy bases are generally lower in
viscosity at high temperatures

KEY DIFFERENCES Contd.

PSugar-free candies usually incorporate an intense

sweetener to compensate for the reduced sweetness
of the base.

KEY SIMILARITIES OF SUGAR

AND
SUGAR-FREE HARD CANDIES
P The same mechanisms of graining and cold-flow
apply in storage, however not necessarily under the
same conditions.
P
P They require similar packaging structures for the
same reasons.
* Protection against moisture transfer.
P Processing environmental conditions are a function
of the finished product's equilibrium relative

EQUILIBRIUM RELATIVE HUMIDITY

ERH vs MOISTURE FOR A Dp2

CANDY
50
40
30
20
10
0

0.5

1.5

2
2.5
3
% MOISTURE

3.5

4.5

30
25
20
15
10
5
25

30

30

30

25

25
30

20

20

25

15

15

10

10
20

5
0 50 15
20 30 40 50
CANDY TEMPERATURE,
DEG.C.
CANDY
TEMPERATURE, DEG.C.

35
40
45
50
CANDY TEMPERATURE, DEG.C.

10

30
25
20
15
10
5
25

30

35

40

45

50

CANDY TEMPERATURE, DEG.C.

5
25 30 35 40 45 50
CANDY TEMPERATURE,
30
VAPOR PRESSURE H2O,mm Hg.

VAPOR PRESSURE H2O,mm Hg.

H2O,mm
VAPOR PRESSURE
Hg.Hg.
H2O,mm
VAPOR PRESSURE

VAPOR PRESSURE H2O,mm Hg.

VAPOR PRESSURE H2O,mm Hg.

CANDY AT 29%ERH, ROOM AT 20

Deg.C, 50% RH

25
20
15
10
5
25

30

35
40
CANDY TEMPERATURE, DEG.C.

45

50

FUNCTIONAL
HARD CANDIES

PRACTICAL CAPACITIES FOR

HARD CANDY PRODUCTS
UNFILLED - POST COOKING

SOLIDS:
LIQUIDS:
Batch Process:
w/o sorbent carrier
with sorbent carrier
Continuous Process:

4%

0.3%
0.7%
0.5%

PRACTICAL CAPACITIES FOR

HARD CANDY PRODUCTS Contd.
CENTER FILLED

ROTARY DIE FORMER:

25%

CHAIN DIE FORMER:

35%

DEPOSITED:

25%

KEY ACTIVE/BASE INTERACTIONS

<OXIDATION/REDUCTION REACTIONS:
Eg: Vitamin C loss of potency.
<SCHIFF ACID BASE REACTIONS:
Eg: Benzocaine/Benzaldhyde reaction in presence
of citric acid.
<HYDROLYSIS:
Eg: Breakdown of asprin to acetic acid, inversion
of sugar caused by early addition of Vitamin C.

<THERMAL DEGRADATION:

HARD CANDY
THE U.S. MARKET 2001

PPackage& Rolled

$ 357.5 Mil.

PCough Drops

$ 357.6 Mil.

PChristmas/seasonal

40.0 Mil. Est.

PSugar-free

24.2 Mil.

PTOTAL

$ 779.1 Million