Candies – A Deep Dive into Confectionery Products

By PMG Engineering · 21 Jun 2024

Introduction to Confectionery Candies

Candies are a key product category in the sugar confectionery industry, characterized by their hard, chewy, homogeneous, and non-crystalline textures. These are technically considered amorphous sugar-based confections, sometimes referred to as "sugar glass" due to their structure.

From a scientific perspective, this glassy state is not a thermodynamic phase but a supercooled liquid, with a distinct transition temperature between the glassy and rubbery states. Unlike other sugars, pure sucrose does not form a glass, hence it is combined with glucose syrup or inverted sugar in commercial formulations. Ingredients that stabilize sucrose glass are often referred to by confectioners as “doctors.”

This article, designed for food industry consultants, food processing consultants, and confectionery manufacturing consultants, outlines the key candy types and their industrial processing techniques.

1. Hard-Boiled Candies

Hard-boiled sweets or boiled candies are produced by cooking sugar solutions (often with cream of tartar) to ~150°C. Historically made over coke fires, today’s manufacturing uses vacuum pans for efficient processing.

Key Steps in Manufacturing Hard-Boiled Candies:

Dissolving and mixing sugar and glucose syrup
Boiling under vacuum to reach desired solids concentration
Cooling the mass
Adding flavors, colors, and acid
Molding and shaping
Wrapping in moisture-proof materials

Glucose syrup is essential in reducing stickiness and controlling crystallization. Ratios between sugar and glucose syrup range from 1:3 to 1:1, based on desired texture and stability.

2. Brittle Candies

Brittles are nut-infused hard candies, commonly made with peanuts and hot sugar syrup. The addition of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) introduces air into the mass, giving it a lighter texture.

This format is popular in value-added confectionery manufacturing and is a focus area for food processing consultancy services that specialize in nut-based candy formulation.

3. Compressed Tablets

Pressed candies or compressed tablets are made using high-pressure processing in dies and punches. Common base ingredients include icing sugar and dextrose, with binders such as gelatin, gum acacia, or gum guar.

Processing Techniques:

Slugging: Lubricated powder is compressed into granules.
Wet granulation: Dry mix is blended with binder solution, sieved, and oven-dried (32–65°C).

After adding flavor and lubricants, the powder is compressed into tablets using high-speed rotary presses. These candies are a staple for nutraceutical consultants and functional candy developers.

4. Crystalline Fondants and Creams

Fondants are more stable than creams, which are softer and typically used in chocolate-coated confections. The distinguishing factor lies in the size and hardness of sugar crystals.

Fondants are made by heating sucrose and additional sugars (inverted or corn syrup) to ~115–120°C, then cooling to ~38°C before inducing crystallization through stirring. This yields microcrystalline textures ideal for premium confectionery production.

5. Summary and Industry Insight

In the realm of sugar-based confectionery, hard-boiled candies, brittles, compressed tablets, and fondants represent core product segments. Their production relies heavily on the control of crystallization, moisture, and ingredient ratios—areas where food manufacturing consultants and food technology experts add significant value.

This technical overview supports food business consultancy, especially for entrepreneurs and manufacturers seeking entry into the confectionery processing market.

References

Frequently asked

Why can't we just use pure sucrose to make hard candy — why is glucose syrup always in the recipe?

Pure sucrose does not form a glass on its own, so commercial candy formulations combine it with glucose syrup or inverted sugar. In hard-boiled candy manufacture, glucose syrup is essential for reducing stickiness and controlling crystallization. Confectioners call such stabilising ingredients "doctors". Typical sugar to glucose syrup ratios range from 1:3 to 1:1, chosen according to the desired texture and stability of the finished sweet.

What are the process steps for a hard-boiled candy line?

Hard-boiled sweets are produced by cooking sugar solutions, often with cream of tartar, to about 150°C. The sequence is: dissolving and mixing sugar and glucose syrup; boiling under vacuum to reach the desired solids concentration; cooling the mass; adding flavours, colours and acid; moulding and shaping; then wrapping in moisture-proof materials. Modern plants use vacuum pans rather than the historical coke-fired open cooking.

How do compressed tablet candies differ in processing from boiled sweets?

Compressed or pressed candies are not boiled. They are formed by high-pressure processing in dies and punches, using base ingredients such as icing sugar and dextrose with binders like gelatin, gum acacia or gum guar. Two routes are used: slugging, where lubricated powder is compressed into granules, and wet granulation, where the dry mix is blended with binder solution, sieved and oven-dried at 32–65°C. Flavour and lubricants are then added and the powder compressed on high-speed rotary presses.

What is the actual difference between a fondant and a cream in confectionery?

In sugar confectionery, fondants are more stable than creams, which are softer and typically used inside chocolate-coated confections. The distinguishing factor is the size and hardness of the sugar crystals. Fondant is made by heating sucrose with additional sugars, inverted or corn syrup, to about 115–120°C, cooling to roughly 38°C, then inducing crystallization by stirring to give the microcrystalline texture wanted in premium confectionery.

How is the light, airy texture of peanut brittle achieved industrially?

Brittles are nut-infused hard candies, commonly made with peanuts and hot sugar syrup. Baking soda, sodium bicarbonate, is added to introduce air into the mass, which gives brittle its lighter texture. Brittle is a popular value-added confectionery format and a common focus for food processing consultancy work involving nut-based candy formulation.

Which process variables matter most when setting up a candy plant?

Across hard-boiled candies, brittles, compressed tablets and fondants — the core segments of sugar-based confectionery — production depends heavily on control of crystallization, moisture and ingredient ratios. Candies are amorphous, non-crystalline sugar confections, sometimes called sugar glass, existing as a supercooled liquid with a distinct transition temperature between glassy and rubbery states, so holding these variables is what determines texture and shelf stability.

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PMG Engineering. (2024). Candies – A Deep Dive into Confectionery Products. PMG Engineering. https://pmg.engineering/Article/328/candies-a-deep-dive-into-confectionery-products/

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