Sep

Everything You Need to Know About Gummy Coating

Gummy products appeal to a broad consumer base, largely due to the fact that they’re enjoyable to consume. Gummies are pleasantly chewy and can be made in a variety of flavors.

To make gummies extra tasty while also improving texture and moisture levels, some manufacturers add coating layers to their gummy products.

Applying a coating is an optional step in gummy-making. While coating each gummy adds some time and expense to the production process, commercial equipment enables manufacturers to efficiently and quickly coat their products at scale.

Let’s discuss everything you need to know about manufacturing coated gummies, including:

How gummy coating works
Gummy coating ingredients
Benefits of adding a coating to gummies
Gummy coating materials and equipment

How Gummy Coating Works

Gummy manufacturing is a four-step process:

Cooking: ingredients are heated into a semi-liquid “slurry” state
Depositing and cooling: the slurry is deposited into molds for cooling and drying
Coating layer and quality control: gummies are coated (optional), then inspected for consistency and quality
Drying: gummies are dried on trays until they reach acceptable water activity levels

Coatings are most easily added right after gummies have come out of the cooling tunnel and before drying. Coating is also possible after drying, but may require additional equipment to prepare the gummies for coating.

Gummy Coating Ingredients

Gummy coatings require fewer ingredients and a simpler process in comparison to gummy bodies. Coatings are not included in the heated slurry and do not require gelling agents.

The ingredients used for a coating layer depend on the benefits that are sought. For example, if the goal is to add sweetness, a sugar coating is added.

A variety of ingredients can be used for coatings, including:

Wax: sometimes used in combination with an oil coating, wax creates a stronger exterior that helps gummies hold their shape and prevents them from sticking together
Sugar: coating gummies with sugar provides sweetness and adds a pleasantly granular texture to contrast with a gummy’s chewy center
Sugar and citric acid blend: the combination of sugar and citric creates a sour coating
Corn starch: controls moisture and reduces stickiness between gummies

Benefits of Adding a Coating to Gummies

Adding gummy coating is optional. However, there are several compelling reasons for a manufacturer to consider including this step in their manufacturing process. Here are the key advantages of adding coatings to gummies.

Control and Improve Flavor

Sweet coatings and sour coatings are added primarily to enhance a gummy’s flavor. As an added benefit, when these coatings are applied in a granular form, they also work to improve the product’s texture.

Reduce Stickiness

Coatings help reduce stickiness in several ways. Some coatings, like granular sugar, add friction between gummies.

Corn starch is another popular option for keeping gummies separate. Corn starch creates a nonstick layer that seals up the more moist, sticky gummy body, preventing bonding between gummies.

Control and Improve Texture

To control and improve a gummy product’s texture, many manufacturers add a thin outer wax layer. The wax may be carnauba, a natural product derived from Brazilian palm trees, or a similar plant-based wax.

Sugar granules are also used for texture, as well as taste. Sugar coatings provide a rough outer texture that pleasantly contrasts with a gummy’s chewy core.

Control Moisture

Coatings can be used to control moisture content in gummies. The addition of an outer coating layer helps to seal and preserve gummies. By preventing gummies from accumulating or losing moisture, the desired texture and water level are more easily preserved.

Gummy Coating Materials and Equipment

Commercial gummy manufacturing equipment can be used to coat gummies at scale. Gummy coating machines can apply a coating to hundreds of thousands of units per hour.

To make coated gummies, your material and equipment needs include the following:

Base ingredients: water, active ingredients, coloring agents, flavors and sweeteners, and gelatin or a gelatin alternative
Coating ingredients: sugar, oil, wax, citric acid, or cornstarch
Production equipment: machinery to cook, deposit, eject and cool the gummies
Water activity meter: monitors moisture content for consistency and quality control
Molds: create gummies in the desired shapes

Adding Coating to Upgrade Your Gummy Operations

Adding a coating to your gummy products is an optional step, but it’s a great way to improve flavor, texture, and packaging quality.

At Gummy Technologies, our gummy manufacturing equipment inventory includes several high-performance coating machines. Our full suite of equipment and devices includes everything you need to establish a gummy manufacturing operation.

Headquartered in Phoenix, AZ, Gummy Tech designs and develops solutions for new and established gummy manufacturing teams. We provide technical support, education, and training for all of our customers. To learn more, view our equipment online or contact us any time with your questions.