Mogul technology for confectionery processing

The world of Mogul products consists of far more than simple gummy bears. In accordance to that the production processes are diverse and complex.  Winkler und Dünnebier Süßwarenmaschinen GmbH (WDS) provides solutions for every possible jelly product. The company always places great emphasis in establishing the solution together with the customer.

Gelatine fruit gums

During the second half of the last century the gelatine-based fruit jelly has prevailed especially in Western Europe and North America increasingly. Even though alternative gelling agents are gaining popularity today, on the most mogul plants gelatine fruit gums are produced in a big variety of shapes and colours. Mainly single layered, one- or three-color design products such as Gummy bears, worms and cola bottles are manufactured. The two- or three-layer is usually generated by consecutive positioned depositors. It is important for these products that the sequence is in accordance to the specific weights. For this reason, many layered fruit gums, such as apple or peach rings have foam layers on the back side.

The manufacturing of products with a semi-liquid filling is carried out with a One-Shot depositor which nests the two masses together by a concentric nozzle system and a special piston controlling. Due to the very slow gelling of the gelatine the filling can move very quickly from the center at different densities of the masses. For this reason, the filling is often set slightly lighter than the shell mass. After the One-Shot depositing process, a foam cover is deposited on the product. This prevents the further rise of the filling, so that the core can be positioned even without exact weight setting in the center of the fruit gums.

Vegan binding agents

In addition to gelatine products, fruit gums are also very often made with starch and pectin as binding agent. Starch products show rubber-like elasticity and are represented very strong in the Arab world (halal approval) and Anglo-American world. Pectin products have an irreversible, short and fragile jelly structure. For both variants increasingly the vegan raw material origin is important. In addition to pectin and starch also agar-agar and Carrageen can be used as gelling agents.

Classic mogul variety

Product post-treatment: Polishing, oiling or sugaring

Gum and jelly products are polished usually with beeswax and carnauba wax or covered with a sandy layer of sugar, which may also partly contain crystalline acid. The oiling is carried out after a second cleaning step in a special oiling drum.

During sugaring process, the products are vaporized after the second cleaning with saturated steam, whereby the surface of the gum and jelly products is melted. The sticky products are then put together with crystalline sugar in a perforated drum, wherein the sugar is evenly distributed on the surface, while the products are rubbed off.

Confectionery like pralines

In Eastern Europe, pectin and agar-jelly products have a very long tradition. Moreover, here much fondant, toffee, and sweet foam products (Zefir, bird milk) are produced. All these products are manufactured on a Mogul plant. Elastic gum and jelly products do play only a minor role. The products with 10-15 g are consistently heavier and larger and are almost always covered with chocolate to a praline confection. Since the products are preferably sold piecewise on the market, the products typically are wrapped or packed individually.

Thus, the range of products differs significantly of what is produced in Western countries with a Mogul. To meet these product requirements, WDS has developed various technical solutions that make it possible to produce such confections chocolates fully automatically, in various performance levels and with the usual precision.

Mogul plants for such applications must depowder the articles in regimented formation, i.e. the filled product starch trays are turned on a wire mesh belt, lifted and the surrounding starch is removed completely via suction and blowing nozzles. The arrangement of the products is not changed. Clean and row by row the products leave the Mogul plant and are then coated with chocolate.

Crusted pralines and praline-confectionery

Crusted pralines

A special case in the Mogul technique are crusted pralines. The principle of crusted praline manufacture is that a sugar supersaturated, hot liquor solution is poured into hot starch and through the inevitably occurring dehydration of the liquor solution the sugar begins to crystallize in the outer layers. In order to have a uniform crystallization (crystals fall rather in the solution), the staple of starch trays must be completely turned after a few hours. For this purpose, there are special turning devices available. The starch stacks are here laterally not open but completely closed so that the product and the starch cannot fall out. After completion of crystallization, the products are also depowdered and cleaned carefully in the depowdering unit, so they can be afterwards immediately coated with chocolate to delicious liqueur pralines.

Foam products

Aerated confectioneries are also produced in large variety. Agar milk foams which are also widely known as the Bird's milk or soufflé may also be multilayered or filled (with chocolate cream, fruit jelly or caramel) produced on a Mogul plant. In addition to the chocolate-coated confectionery chocolates also jelly confection is made with a Mogul plant. Some Carrageen products have achieved already wide acceptance. Due to rapid gelling, Carrageen is very suitable (like pectin) for filled jelly products.

For more information, go to Technologie für die Süßwarenindustrie – Winkler und Dünnebier Süßwarenmaschinen GmbH (w-u-d.com) or Home – sweet OTC (sweet-otc.com)