News

Wacker announces CANDY2GUM, 3D printing

9 Dec 2016

Wacker is to announce what it says are two world firsts for the confectionery industry. CANDY2GUM enables a new type of chewing gum, while 3D printing allows gum to be produced in customisable shapes.

Wacker is to announce what it says are two world firsts for the confectionery industry. With its CANDY2GUM technology, the company says it is possible to produce confectionery with a completely new mouthfeel: what begins as a piece of chewy candy turns into chewing gum after a short time. Since the product is made in a boiling process, manufacturers can now add water-based, fat-containing and natural ingredients, such as fruit juice, cocoa and coffee.

Wacker will also announce what is claimed to be the world’s first 3D printing process to use chewing gum, saying that, for the first time, chewing gum comes in a variety of customizable shapes.

CANDY2GUM technology is said to make it possible to produce innovative chewy candy that turns into chewing gum after a short time: the mouthfeel and chewing experience are said to be absolutely unique.

The new technology does not only alter the texture of confectionery. It also opens up new opportunities for flavours and ingredients that the company says, until now, were unheard of for chewing gum – fruit juice, coffee, milk, caramel, chocolate, coconut and plant extracts. Now, a multitude of water-based, fat-containing and natural ingredients are available for use in chewing gum.

The secret behind this confectionery innovation is the production process – CANDY2GUM products are simply boiled. Conventional chewing gum, on the other hand, is made in a dry kneading process. Water-based and fat-containing ingredients, such as fruit juice and cocoa, are exactly what the traditional kneading process cannot handle, Wacker says.

Not so with CANDY2GUM. Because the production process is similar to making chewy candy, standard sugar-confectionery cookers can be used. Wacker offers a suitable premix for this: CAPIVA C03. The premix is just added to the candy mass – and a simple piece of chewy candy becomes a CANDY2GUM product.

CAPIVA C03 is insoluble in water, but it melts fully, which means it can be blended homogeneously. The fact that WACKER’s premix is claimed to be ideal for use in both sugary and sugar-free candy mixtures opens up numerous opportunities for novel confectionery products, Wacker believes.

With CANDY2GUM technology, it is now possible to produce confectionery goods that begin like a piece of chewy candy and turn into gum as they are being chewed. On top of this, they feature completely new flavours and ingredients.

Also new from Wacker is what it claims is the world’s first 3D printing process to use chewing gum. Wacker has developed a novel product formulation specifically for printable gum and has optimised the software and hardware for this sophisticated food matrix. As a result, chewing gum can be formed in many shapes, not just as sticks, balls and pellets. Whatever is needed, whether a name, logo or lifelike miniature figure, this new technology can produce gum in a wide range of colours, shapes and flavours – individually personalised.