Our customer in the food industry produces sweets, such as lollipops.
In the production of lollipops, the taste and aroma of the candy are highly connected to the sugar quantities used in the recipe and applied to the product’s surface as a special final touch. Controlling the amount of sugar applied to the lollipops by ensuring the sugar’s correct moisture content presented a challenge for our customer.
When the moisture content is very low, consequently not enough sugar is attached to the lollipops as it is unable to stick. If there is too much moisture in the sugar, it will create lumps and small crystals on the lollipops. Too much or too little sugar leads to a reduction and inconsistency in the final product.
Process data:
- Customer: Confectionery plant
- Material: Refined sugar
- Installation: Screw conveyor
- Function: Moisture control to meet specification limits
Solution:
The moisture control was the key point to allow the customer to keep consistency in their final product. Using the M-Sens 2 on a screw conveyor right before applying the sugar to the lollipops, the customer is now able to correct the sugar moisture content and make sure it has the correct attachment ratio to the lollipops and guarantee a good final product.
If the moisture is high, the lollipop speed will be increased to attach less sugar on top of the lollipops. If the moisture content is low, the process velocity will be reduced to give the sugar time to stick.
Customer benefits:
- Consistent quality of the final product
- Compact installation point on screw conveyor
- Relative moisture content and material flow to control the amount of sugar
