Confectionery

Sugarfree Stability:
Polyol-based Pre-coating
Agent Keeps Dragées
Desirable and Damage-free

W
ITHIN the frame of the general debate about nutritional
Pre-coating performs a awareness and weight management it is difficult to talk about
number of useful functions confectionery indulgence without the sense of having
in making quality dragées, committed a cardinal sin. Yet there are sweets and there are sweets! The
market has awakened to the value of sugarfree or sugar-reduced products
such as improving
that offer a good compromise to gourmand consumers who want to be
internal layer adhesion, able to enjoy the sweetness of confectioneries without all the sugar-related
better isolation of the health risks.
centres and outer layers,
protection of fragile Gumming/pre-coating of dragées
centres from damage, Dragées (also called pan-coated sweets) constitute a wide range of
products with hard or soft centres covered with a coating of sugar or
and helping to achieve a
chocolate. A key step in their production is the gumming process of the
more uniform surface dragée centres (also referred to as pre-coating) and in this article, I will
appearance. To these explain how this process works, its vital role in helping to create attractive
benefits one can now add confectioneries with good eating qualities and the possibility of using a
the possibility of sugarfree sugarfree gumming/pre-coating agent to make sugar-reduced items.
gumming to produce The first step in the pre-coating process is the pre-treatment of the
dragée centres, known as the gumming, pre-coating, isolating or stabilising
reduced-sugar dragées.
operation according to the type of products involved. In essence, a more
or less viscous solution is applied on the rotating dragée centres in the
By Anita Bénech coating pan. After the complete and uniform covering of the product
surface, the solution is bound with dusting powder. The reasons and
practical advantages of this process are multiple for the manufacturers of
dragées (pan-coated confectioneries).

FOOD & BEVERAGE ASIA OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2006 57

 Confectionery

Improved adhesion and layer isolation sugar cover and also prevents the dissolution of acid-
Gumming results in the building up of a lipophilic and water-soluble colours, thus avoiding the formation
and hydrophilic microfilm which leads to optimum of spots and cracks at the surface. The characteristic
adhesion characteristics between the centre surface crunch of this type of hard dragée is herewith secured.
(lipophilic in the case of
almonds or chewing-gums, Protection against
hydrophilic in the case of physical damage and
compressed tablets) and the heat
initial hydrophilic pan- The pre-coating step
coating layers. This also protects the fragile parts of
makes the long panning dragée centres. For example,
process shorter as good ad- it prevents almond tips from
hesion between the pan- breaking off, almond skin
coating mass and a homoge- from peeling, and chiclet
neous structure of the pan- corners or almond tips from
coating cover are secured remaining uncovered during
from the start. the sugar coating. This gua-
The isolating function of rantees a perfect and uniform
pre-coating leads to a consi- pan-coating cover.
derable reduction or inhi- Pre-coating also increases
bition of the oil and/or water A layer of pre-coating serves an isolating function the thermic stability of
migration risk, for instance, in reducing or inhibiting the risk of oil and/or products such as chocolate-
water migration. For instance, the pre-coating
of the almond oil or cocoa prevents almond oil or cocoa butter from based centres, making it
butter through the sugar layer, seeping into the sugar layer, which would cause possible to apply warmer
which would cause unsightly unsightly oily spots on the surface of a dragée. and more highly concen-
oily spots on the surface of trated coating solutions or to
the dragée. In the case of soft dragées, the isolating dry the product with warmer air, which in both cases
process prevents water absorption out of the soft leads to a faster pan-coating process.
covering into the centre and thus prevents the latter The greater stability of pre-coated products implies
from softening. It also stops water/oil migration in the a higher mechanical resistance of the centres, that is,
other direction and prevents the aerated centres from it reduces the risk of the coating layer breaking during
drying out. In the case of hard-coated jellified centres, the coating process. This also reduces the risk of
it hinders water migration from the centre into the hard deformation of the centres under pressure, which is
practically unavoidable in the case of soft centres.
And pre-coating makes it possible to coat very
flexible jellified centres or centres filled with
liquid. The stabilising function prevents the centres
from slipping away in the coating-pan, especially
at the beginning of the coating process. At the same
time, the greater mechanical stability of the centres
in the coating-pan allows users to increase the batch
loads.

Improved candy surface

Pre-coating protects the fragile parts of dragée centres
and ensures that all parts are covered with a uniform,
pan-coating layer.
The gumming/pre-coating process helps
smoothen the irregular and sometimes porous
surface of the centres. In the case of almonds, it
permits a complete and uniform covering of the skin
furrows. In the case of chewing-gum pads, it
permits a stable covering of the edges and corners.
This enrobing function gives a homogeneous and
even surface which is the basis for a successful pan-
coating operation. In the case of dark centres, the

58 FOOD & BEVERAGE ASIA OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2006


Pre-coating confers a higher mechanical resistance to dragée centres, increasing their stability and reducing the risk
of the coating layer breaking during the coating process. The greater mechanical stability of the centres in the
coating-pan allows users to increase the batch loads. In addition, pre-coating makes it possible to coat very flexible
jellified centres or centres filled with liquid.
pre-coating layer has a bleaching function and makes it
possible to coat with fewer layer applications and without
the use of bleaching or colouring agents.
The gumming or pre-coating process makes it possible
to create innovative and high-quality dragées (pan-coated
confectioneries) with a long and stable shelf life.
Sugarfree gumming/pre-coating
Based on a combination of polysaccharides and
sucrose, Quick Coat is a brand of ready-to-use gumming
or pre-coating agent made by Alfred L. Wolff for all types
of dragées. To cater to the production of sugar-reduced
dragées, a new sugarfree version of Quick Coat is now
available, which is formulated from a blend of selected
hydrocolloids and pure polyols (Mannitol, Maltitol,
Isomalt, Xylitol).
Quick Coat Sugarfree only requires a few minutes for
application and enables a subsequent coating without a
long intermediate drying time. A major advantage is the
fact that only one gumming/pre-coating raw material –
sugarfree or with sugar – is required for the whole process.
It simplifies the process as no time-consuming preparation
of the gumming/pre-coating solution is needed any longer
and no interruption for a long intermediate drying
procedure is required either.
Confectionery
Quick Coat Sugarfree offers an outstanding wettability
and dissolution ability. After a quick dissolution in warm
water, it is used as a pre-coating or gumming solution.
There is no problem in preparing pre-coating solutions in
all required concentration levels from 40% to 70% dry
substance, and always with a low viscosity. Due to its
granulometry, it can also be used as a dusting powder. As
to the residual humidity, this is released from the pre-
coating film after barely 15 minutes of air injection.
Both the sugarfree and sugar-based versions of Quick
Coat are certified kosher and halal and can be used in
conventional coating-pans or in automatic coating-lines
such as those supplied by Driam or Dumoulin. A
continuous pre-coating operation is possible with a
machine developed by VFS-Systems (France) with
Drouven & Fabry (Germany): this is a time-saving,
automatic system that gives a perfect isolation and
stabilisation of the dragée centres using Quick Coat. The
process results in a 10-15% increase in the product weight,
which in turns reduces the subsequent pan-coating time
needed to obtain the required weight of the finished pan-
coated goods (dragées) by approximately 30%.
Enquiry No: 037
Anita Bénech is Marketing Manager, Alfred L. Wolff.
FOOD & BEVERAGE ASIA OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2006 59