There’s a gummy now for every flavor, every mood, and every day of the week- EASY!
Squishy and sweet, these chewable treats come in various shapes, such as teddy bears, stars, and berries. They can be found in colorful tubs, exciting packets, or appealing subscription boxes. Thanks to their soul-satisfying sweetness, they are popular among all age demographics.
Whether it’s a fruity-flavored gummy or a vitamin-infused supplement, gummies are now synonymous with joy for both young and old.
The rapidly growing demand for gummies has presented massive commercial opportunities for many today. However, it’s vital for the gummy manufacturers to not cut any corners with quality and consistency to meet consumer expectations.
Quality control is pivotal for demonstrating product reliability, safety, and purchaser approval. In today’s blog, we discuss some effective quality control measures to achieve consistent gummy production.
Types of Gummies One Should Know About
Gummies have fast become a must-have for every kid around the world. Apart from their inherent sweetness, their various shapes and sizes make them irresistible for people of all ages. One can explore various gummy varieties—from contemporary exotic and functional options to classic bear-shaped gummies. In short, the realm of gummies is constantly expanding.
What Are Gummies Made Of?
Looking from afar, gummies look like animated promises of joy and delight. Although they have been traditionally developed with sugar, modern techniques have made making gummies using sugar alternatives possible.
Moreover, many consumers who enjoy gummies believe they are made with gelatin. In truth, that’s not the case despite gelatin being a joint gelling agent. Today’s manufacturers opt for gelatin-free alternatives- consequentially catering to vegetarians, vegans, or those with dietary restrictions.
The gelatin-free alternatives contain plant-based ingredients like pectin to attain the much-celebrated chewy texture. Therefore, while gummies have traditionally featured gelatin, there are diverse options to include various dietary preferences.
Regular Gummies vs. Sugar-Free Gummies
Two varieties of gummies are available primarily for purchase- regular and sugar-free. The regular ones traditionally feature sugar as the base ingredient, which brings sweetness to the candy.
However, sugar-free gummies provide sweetness with suitable replacements like stevia or erythritol. They offer similar joy to their regular counterparts but effectively cut down the consumer’s sugar intake.
Gummy Manufacturing Process
Gummy candies are a staple for people who have a forever-craving sweet tooth. They are soft, have a chewy texture, and have an endless variety of flavors- honestly, what is not there to love?
Although they may seem simple, they warrant quite an intricate manufacturing process.
Gummy production always involves large-quantity batch delivery in a facility. Special production machines are needed to create and package the candy batches according to the requirements. One batch could easily feature hundreds of thousands of gummy candies.
As soon as the gummies leave the mold, they go into drying on trays for one or two days at maximum. This phase involves the gummies losing their water activity level to an approved level for packaging.
Importance of a Proper Gummy Manufacturing Process
It is necessary to mention that the quality and consistency of a batch of gummy candies depends entirely upon the manufacturing process.
Therefore, all gummy production companies follow a strategically designed and controlled manufacturing process. Using suitable equipment and a proper manufacturing process results in consistent taste and texture.
Tried and tested gummy manufacturing processes to prevent inconsistencies while ensuring safety for the consumer’s benefit. We have explained the critical factors for consistency and quality in preparing gummies.
• Confirming Raw Material Quality
The manufacturing group should begin its gummy production process by ensuring the quality of the raw materials it plans to use. It must pick and analyze the ingredients to deliver premium-quality gummies. Moreover, the gelling agent it intends to use should also contain favorable properties. This will help in achieving the desired chewiness and texture.
• Uniform Recipe Preparation
Once they have investigated the quality of raw materials, they must prepare recipes regularly—this will contribute to achieving consistent quality control. The ultimate recipe should ideally mention the precise quantities of each ingredient, guaranteeing accuracy during production.
At no point should the production team consider deviating from the decided recipe. Doing so could potentially result in variable tastes, textures, and appearances. Regular updates are advised to avoid variation in the final product, which could result in customer dissatisfaction.
• Careful Mixing and Homogenization
It’s vital to achieve consistency with the mixture to guarantee uniform dispersal of flavors, colors, and active ingredients in gummies. We suggest proper mixing at the correct temperature and duration to achieve a consistent product.
Most production facilities typically have industry mixers and multiple stirring modes to help achieve the best results. They must also build a habit of regular checks, visual inspections, and testing for texture to ensure the final product meets quality standards.
• Precise Dosing and Mold Filling
They must also ensure precise dosing of the liquid gummy mixture to ensure even gummy size and dynamic ingredient content. They must also fill the molds accurately to achieve regular shape and weight. All these will ultimately help improve visual appeal and customer satisfaction.
Installing automated dosing machines with advanced control systems will help the gummy production team fill the gummies accurately. This will lower human errors and minimize product waste.
• Top Cooking and Cooling Conditions
Cooking is a fundamental step in a gummy production process. It involves hitting a specific temperature to allow the gelling agent present in the mixture to start forming the desired texture. The team must adhere to consistent cooking conditions to achieve an even texture and avoid under- or overcooking.
Once they have completed the cooking process, the gummies should be left to dry to even out their shape and texture. Ensure adequate cooling conditions to avoid weak formation or rock-solid hardening. Therefore, constant supervision during the cooking and cooling phase is necessary to ensure high-quality gummies.
• Repeated Inspection and Testing
The production team must consider doing repeated inspection and testing rounds to achieve the desired results with the gummies. The supervising rounds will identify any shape, color, or texture abnormalities.
While supervision will help to remove gummies that have failed to meet the expected standards, laboratory testing will confirm their quality and safety. All gummy production facilities run microbiological tests on their products to discover the presence of harmful microorganisms. Alternatively, chemical analysis looks into the presence of active ingredients and additives.
• Packaging Strength and Shelf Life Testing
The concluding stage of quality control in gummy production analyzes the packaging integrity. Moreover, it can help in pointing out its shelf life as well. This is vital as packaging should keep the gummies safe from external factors. Therefore, they should test the seal strength, barrier properties, and compatibility of the packaging materials.
Regarding shelf life testing, the production team should store samples of gummies under different conditions. They must focus on the product’s sensory attributes to gather insights into product stability over time.
Squisheaze is Loyal to Gummies Till the End
In short, maintaining a non-negotiable approach to quality control in a gummy production line ensures premium, safe, and consistent products. Every step should be performed carefully to deliver a customer-satisfying product, from picking the raw materials to executing inspection protocols.
At Squisheaze, we have gained customer trust and satisfaction by prioritizing quality control. This has undoubtedly laid a strong foundation for our brand’s success.
We mean it when we say that making gummy candies is no joke. We are confident that gaining knowledge about gummy candies will improve your every bite from now on!
Now that they are done learning the manufacturing process from scratch, we feel you are prepared to venture into the gummy manufacturing business. However, before you do, could we interest you in piling your bags and bucket with our best candies and relishing them without guilt?
