Nougat, Fruit Chews & Taffy

Barb Klubertanz

Resident
Course in
Confectionery
Technology
 Nougat
• Nougat is a generic name of aerated
candies that have a soft or a semi-hard
texture with nuts and/or fruits.

• Part of the category of aerated candies

– Lightly aerated (dense)
– vs. highly aerated Marshmallows
 Aerated Confections

Density Water
(g/mL) Content
Marshmallow 0.25 - 0.7 5 - 18%
Nougat 0.8 - 1.0 9 - 11%
Chews 0.9 - 1.1 5 - 7.5%
Taffy 0.9 - 1.1 5 - 7.5%
 Nougat - Wording

• Nougat de Montelimar (traditional nougat from

France)
– Soft
– Chewy
• Torrone (traditional crunchy nougat from Italy)
• Turron (traditional nougat from Spain)
• Taffy (USA for pulled soft candy)
• Fruit Chew
• Mint Chew
• Chocolate bar
 Typical Nougat Products

Country Brand Manufacturer

USA Starburst Mars
Skittles Mars
3 Musketeers Mars
Netherland Mentos / Fruitella Perfetti-van Melle
Switzerland Sugus Suchard
Germany Mamba Storck
Japan Hi-Chew Morinaga
UK Dessert Nougat Callard & Bowser
 Sales of US Confectionery Product
(2008)

• All chocolate candy $ 3,823 MM

• All non-chocolate candy $ 2,070 MM
– Chewy candy $ 766
– Breath freshener $ 277
– Hard candy $ 219
– Licorice $ 210
– Plain mints $ 134
– Sugar free $ 75
• Fruit snack $ 482 MM
• Marshmallows $ 145 MM
• Cough drops $ 417 MM
• Total snack bar $ 2,308 MM
• All chewing gum $ 1,288 MM (sugar: sugar free= 16:84)
The Manufacturing Confectioner January 2009
 Nougat History
• Origins
- Cremona, Italy
Torrone - “big tower”
Stories say it was invented for a medieval
wedding and the candy’s name was based on it
having been shaped into a tower as an
aristocratic “wedding cake”
- Montelimar, France
Nougat de Montelimar
Made with honey, egg albumen and nuts
In 1958, Olivier de Serres planted almond trees on
his estate a few miles from Montelimar. Local
confectioners found a way to use the almonds.
 Nougat

Good nougat needs:

- Good chew character
- Not stick to teeth and wrapper
- Enough stability on taste and shape
 Basic Nougat Ingredients

Sugars
gives body
accelerates graining
30 – 70 % depending on graining
Corn Syrup
gives body
inhibits graining
42DE most common; higher DE gives more
tender nougat, but tends to be more sticky
 Basic Nougat Ingredients

Whipping agents
Egg albumen, soy protein, gelatin
gives light texture, stand up quality
0.5 – 4.0 %
Fats
vegetable fats
give smooth and non-stick character
typically 3 – 8 %
 Basic Nougat Ingredients

Emulsifiers
Lecithin, DMG, sugar ester
promotes stabilization of emulsion
0.1 – 0.2 %
 Other Nougat Ingredients

Fillings
Nuts, dry fruits, candied fruits and
sometimes milk
products give specific taste
Others
Flavors and colors
 Making Nougat

• Mix sugar / corn syrup. Cook to

appropriate temperature.
• Cool slightly and blend in hydrated
stabilizer.
• Whip to aerate.
• Fat is usually added after aeration, along
with nuts, fruit, etc.
• Form either through extrusion or
moulding.
Nougat Processing

Courtesy of: Y. Noda (2003)

 Fruit Chews & Taffy

• What is the main difference between

fruit chews and salt water taffy?
 Taffy and Fruit Chews

• Fruit chews tend to be grained

• Salt Water Taffy - not grained

 Salt Water Taffy
Doesn’t really use “salt water”

Many manufacturers claim a shopkeeper by the

name of David Bradley was one of the first sellers of
the candy. In 1883, a huge storm hit Atlantic City
and flooded the boardwalk. Bradley’s store was
flooded and the ocean water soaked his entire stock
of taffy. In one account, a young girl asked if the
store still had taffy for sale. Bradley jokingly told the
girl to grab some ‘salt water taffy’. This is believed
to be the first reference to salt water taffy.
 Basic Taffy / Chew Ingredients

Sugars
gives body
accelerates graining
35 - 45 %
Corn Syrup
gives body
inhibits graining
42DE most common; higher DE gives chewier
texture, but more sticky
45 – 60%
 Basic Taffy / Chew Ingredients

Whipping agents
Egg albumen, soy protein, gelatin
provides stability to air cells
provides chewy texture
0.5 – 2.5 %

Fats
vegetable fats
want to melt at body temperature
keeps from sticking to wrapper, equipment and teeth
typically 3 – 10%
 Basic Taffy / Chew Ingredients

Emulsifiers
Lecithin, mono & diglycerides, sugar esters
bridge between aqueous phase and fat
0.1 – 0.2 %
 Basic Taffy / Chew Ingredients

Texture Improver
Starch, dextrin, gums
provides smoother texture
inhibits cold flow
Other
Acids, Flavors, Colors
 Making Fruit Chews / Taffy

• Mix sugar / corn syrup. Cook to

appropriate temperature.
• Cool slightly and blend in hydrated
stabilizer, fat and emulsifier.
• Aerate – traditionally done by pulling
• Form either through extrusion or cut
and wrap machines.
 Taffy Processing
Ingredients

Mix
Pulling
∞
Tank

Cooling

Cooling
Packaging

Forming
Cut & Wrap Courtesy of: R. Hartel (2009)
 Production Process - Fruit Chew / Taffy

• Cooking:
- Steam cooker
- Batch vacuum cooker
- Continuous vacuum
cooker
- Microfilm cooker
• Cooling:
- Cooling slab
- Drum cooler
- Cooling belt
- Cooling box
 Production Process - Fruit Chew / Taffy

• Mixing / aeration:
- Planetary mixer
- Sigma mixer
- Extruder
- Pulling machine
(vertical)
- Pulling machine
(horizontal)
- Inline mixer
- Pressure beater
 Production Process - Fruit Chew / Taffy

• Forming:
- Rolling & scoring method
Extruder → Rolling → Rolling cutter →
Scoring cutter → Feeding machine →
Wrapping machine

- Cut & Wrap method

1) Batch roller → Rope sizer →
Relaxation → Cut &wrap machine
2) Extruder → Cooling box → Cut &
wrap machine
 Production Process - Fruit Chew / Taffy

• Individual wrap:
- Fold wrap (bag)
- Fold wrap (stick)
-Twist wrap (bag)
- Flow pack (bag)
• High speed cut &
wrap machine
- GD
- Rose Teegarten
- Bosch
 Important parameters for
Nougat / Chews /Taffy

• Moisture content
• Graining factor
• ERH (AW)
• Density
• % of protein
• % of fat
• pH
 Key Factors Affecting Quality

1. How to control moisture content

- by controlling cooking temperature
2. How to control ERH(AW)
- formula
- moisture content of final product
Why is moisture content important?

• Moisture affects:
- Texture and chewing character
- Shape (cold flow, shrinkage)
- ERH (AW)
- Migration of moisture
- Control activity of microorganisms
- Productivity/ machine efficiency
 Key Factors Affecting Quality

3. How to control sugar crystal in a

candy
- by managing ratio of sugar and
corn syrup → graining factor
 Recrystallization

There are two types of sugars:

Accelerator of graining
- Sucrose
- Dextrose
- Lactose
Inhibitors of graining
- Corn syrup
- Invert sugar
- Honey
 Recrystallization (Graining)

• By controlling recrystallization of sugar

– control texture
– appearance
– stability
– productivity
• Usually, we use sugar/corn syrup ratio, as an
index of graining, such as 60:40 or 55:45.
• However, we can not use this way when we use
two types of corn syrup or different corn syrups
with different moisture content.
 Graining Factor

• Ratio of accelerators and inhibitors is an

important index to show character of the candy.
• Use Graining Factor as an index.
• GF = Total solids of accelerators / Total solids of sugars
x 100
• For example, GF of the following fondant is,
25
0.975

sugar 2,550g
corn syrup(80% solid) 570g (570g x 0.80 = 456g solids)
water 800g
GF = 2550 / (2550 + 456) x 100 = 84.8%
 Nougat Formula - Skuse

Batch Moisture Moisture

Materials Specification (kg) (%) (kg)
Sugar Granulated 28.000 0 0
Corn syrup DE42, BX80% 14.000 20 2.800
Water 10.000 100 10.000
Egg albumen Powder 0.300 12 0.036
Water 1.250 100 1.250
Total 53.550 14.086

Sugar solids = 28g

Corn syrup solids = 14-2.8 = 11.2g

Graining factor: 28 x 100 = 71.43%

28+11.2
Nougat Formula – Choice (Chewy nougat - Formula 165)

Batch Moisture
Materials Specification Moisture (kg)
(kg) (%)

Sugar Granular 3.172 0 0

Sugar Powder 0.353 0 0
Corn syrup DE42,Bx 80% 5.889 20 1.178
Egg albumen Powder 0.170 12 0.020
Total 9.684 1.198

Sugar solids = 3.172 + 0.353 = 3.525 kg

Corn syrup solids = 5.889 - 1.178 = 4.711 kg

Graining factor: 3.525 x 100 = 42.80%

3.525 + 4.711
 Types of Nougat

• Chewy Nougat
– Corn syrup > Sugar
– Example:
» Charleston Chew

• Grained / Short Nougat

– Sugar > Corn syrup
– Examples:
» Milky Way Bar
» 3 Musketeers
 Taffy Formula
Batch Moisture
Materials Specification Moisture (kg)
(kg) (%)

Sugar Granular 3.00 0 0

Corn syrup DE42,Bx 80% 6.15 20 1.23
Whipping agent 0.08
Fat 0.60
Total 9.83

Sugar solids = 3.0 kg

Corn syrup solids = 6.15 - 1.23 = 4.92 kg

Graining factor: 3 x 100 = 37.88%

3 + 4.92
 Fruit Chews vs. Taffy

• Fruit chews tend to be grained

• Salt Water Taffy - not grained

 Aeration (Density)

• Aeration is important
– Improves texture
– Chew character
– Appearance

• Whipping agents
- Egg albumen
- Soy protein
- Gelatin
 Aeration (Density)

• Important processing parameters

– Temperature
– Time
– Weight
 Troubleshooting
• Product
– Too Soft / Hard
• Moisture content
• Cook temp
• Density
– Density
• Control of aeration process
– weight
– aeration time
– temperature
• Proper cook temperature
• Addition of fat
• Excessive heat (breaks down whipping agent)
 Troubleshooting
• Product
– Sticky
• Moisture content
• Fat content too low

– Cold flow
• Water content too high
– Increase cook temp
– Aeration (smaller air bubbles)
• Addition of starch granules after cooking
 Troubleshooting

• Machine compatibility
- Need to supply uniform candy rope to cut & wrap machine.
- not sticky
- proper aeration / density
 Key Points

• Aerated candies
• Density
• Moisture
• Graining factor