Monday, April 7, 2008
Back to Basics - Technology & Manufacture of Sugar Free Confections
Welcome and Introduction- Why Sugar Free?
Judy Cooley, Senior Staff Scientist for International Product Development, The Hershey Company
Opening remarks will provide a review of the current sugar free confections market, including both domestic and international markets and their projected growth. An overview of the speaker presentation topics to follow will also be provided.
Sugar Free Toolbox - Bulk Ingredients and Intense Sweetners
Peter Jamieson, Manager of Food Applications, Corn Products Specialty Ingredients
Sugar-free confectionery has come a long way. Today, products on the market are more diverse and offer a level of quality and taste equal to that of their sugar counterparts. This evolution is due primarily to the consumer’s demand for better tasting “good for you” products. Subsequently, ingredient manufacturers and product developers alike have come up with creative and functional solutions for replacing the sugars without sacrificing taste or texture. Therefore this paper will discuss the current tools – in the form of low digestible carbohydrates and high intensity sweeteners – available, and often used by, product developers to create these high quality “reduced sugar”, “no sugar added”, and “sugar free” confections.
Sugar Free Hard Candy - Introduction & Cooking Demonstration
Mark Puch, President, Primrose Candy Company
Manufacturers of hard and chewy non-chocolate candies have perfected their formulations and production techniques over many decades of experience. The shift to sugar free products necessitates some modest changes in manufacturing procedures. This paper will review typical ingredients as well as the critical control points in processing vital to sugar free hard candy production, important to assure the highest quality right off the production line as well as following extended storage. Cooking demo assistance and equipment supplied by: John and Kim Vessa, Bottom Line Process Technologies, Inc.
Sugar Free Jellies and Gummies
Michelle Schwenk, Research, Tate & Lyle
This presentation will provide a review of formulating and processing sugar free gummies and jellies. Most common sugar replacing bulking agents will be covered, as well as high intensity sweeteners suitable for the application. There will be a brief overview of any special processing considerations.
Sugar Free Gum - Introduction & Cooking Demonstration
Michael Hendrickx, Sales and Technical Assistance, Eurobase International
This presentation should provide attendees a basic picture regarding the aspects of production, formulations and overall quality of sugar free gum. It will be followed by a live demonstration that will provide viewers a clearer picture of how gum is mixed in a small scale mixer. Cooking demo assistance and equipment supplied by: John and Kim Vessa, Bottom Line Process Technologies, Inc.
Tableting Sugarless Confections: An Overview of Ingredients and Processes for the Novice
Warren Clark, Vice President R&D/QA, Ford Gum
Tableting sugarless confections offers a challenge with some similarities, but many differences from, sugar products. This discussion will offer insights into the ingredients, processes and problems encountered when approaching a sugarless confection tableting project.
Q & A Troubleshooting Panel Discussion
Panel speakers will facilitate an open and informative dialogue based on audience questions.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Sessions led by moderators Graham Nice, Regional Sales Manager, Doboy, Inc. and Reginald Ohlson, Retired, Mars Snackfood, NA
PMCA Committee Updates
Jeffrey Fine, Director of New Products and Technology, AarhusKarlshamn, USA
PMCA’s Research Committee Chair will provide an overview of the activities of the committee including current grant in aid Research projects.
Dennis Zak, Consultant, TMResource, LLC
PMCA’s Education and Learning Committee Chair will provide a very brief report on past and future committee activities including results of past short courses and current plans for the next year.
Free Volume - Why Hard Candy Gets Sticky
Rich Hartel, Dept. of Food Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison in collaboration with Renee Lietha and Rajesh Bund
Hard candies are glassy solids with the sugar molecules found in a compact, but random, orientation. Even though hard candies seem highly solidified, there is substantial free volume, defined as the spaces between molecules, into which small molecules can fit and move. Migration of water molecules into the sugar glass and diffusion of flavors out are related to the free volume within the glass. This paper will cover theories of how moisture migrates within sugar glasses, recent experimental work on moisture penetration into hard candy, and potential methods of stabilizing sugar glasses against moisture problems.
Sweetners: Providing Empty Calories or Functionality and Nutrition? The New Age of Functional and Nutrient Rich Caloric Sweetners
Dr. Cheryl R. Mitchell, Owner and Chief Research Scientist, Creative Research Management
Sweeteners function as a major constituent in confectionery, beverages, and most food product formulations. During the last quarter century, refined nutritive sweeteners have maintained a negative image of providing “empty” calories. However, there is a growing trend towards the use of sweetener ingredients that have either a functional consumer perceived health benefit or a distinct nutritional and functional advantage. Products that contain sweeteners that are GMO free, preservative free, kosher (for Passover), organic, balanced carbohydrates, or type of carbohydrate provide a consumer with perceived health benefits. More significantly, there are new sweetener ingredients that have highly desirable nutritional characteristics such as vitamins, minerals, oils, soluble proteins, and soluble fibers. These nutritionally rich sweeteners not only provide nutritional attributes, but can also provide distinctive benefits in the taste and textural characteristics of food, beverage, and confectionery formulations. A discussion of these functional and nutrient rich sweeteners, their physical properties, availability as a commodity, and some of their distinctive and beneficial uses in formulations will be presented.
Gelatin Alternatives For Confectionery Products
Gregory R. Ziegler, Professor of Food Science, in collaboration with Lingyan Kong, Ph.D. Candidate, The Pennsylvania State University
This presentation will disclose the unique properties of gelatin that makes it difficult to replace as a confectionery ingredient, and the reason for its replacement. We will present strategies for gelatin replacement in a variety of confectionery products using other proteins, carbohydrate hydrocolloids and even lipid, depending on the properties of gelatin to be emulated. The ability to develop new textures in gelatin-based confections through addition of a second hydrocolloid will also be discussed.
Pearlescent Pigments - Making Confections Sparkle
Gale D. Myers, Industry Segment Manager, Sensient Food Colors
On July 5, 2006, the FDA permitted a new type of pigment for use in certain food products. This new colorant is a specific variety of pearlescent pigment made with Titanium Dioxide and Mica. This paper will cover the history and development of this pigment, an explanation of the U.S. regulations (where it can be used and at what levels), and how to use the material to manifest the sparkling effect in various confectionery applications. This is a new pigment to the U.S. confectionery industry and hopefully, this paper will answer some of the questions associated with this new colorant.
Regulartory Update for the Confectionery Industry 2008
Alison Bodor, Vice President, Regulatory & Technical, National Confectioners Association
New industry regulations and issues that will affect confectioners in 2008, as well as those under development, will be addressed including FDA's new food safety initiatives and the agency’s interest in revising the nutrition facts panel. An update on standards of identity for chocolate will also be shared.
Fundamental Mechanisms of Flavor Release/Perception in Confections
PMCA Research Grant in Aid Project conducted by Alicia Holts, graduate student at The Pennsylvania State University under the guidance of Devin G. Peterson, Associate Professor of Food Science
Defining mechanisms of flavor release in confectionery products would provide useful information to tailor the flavor response and to allow for a more effective use of flavor materials. This presentation will reveal the results of extensive research conducted to define key flavor-flavor ingredient interactions that significantly influence flavor/release perception in hard candy. Results from both model systems (artificial mouth) and human trials (via breath analysis – real-time release kinetics of volatile flavor molecules) will be presented. Findings surrounding the “flavor dosing” of the candy (flavor compounds added as a mixture or separately), and how this relates to practical applications in a manufacturing facility, will also be discussed.
Chewing Gum Technology - Flavors & Textures
Douglas Fritz, DP Fritz Consultant, Wilmington, NC
What makes a chewing gum different from other confections? What is gum base and why are there different textures? How do flavorings and intense sweeteners interact with bulk sweeteners and gum base? How can we achieve “longer lasting flavor?” This presentation will help to answer these key questions surrounding chewing gum flavor and texture.
Food & Beverage Trends and Their Influence on Confections
Erin Kate O’ Donnell, Marketing Manager, David Michael Company
Because confectionery trends are not autonomous to sweets, this paper and presentation will examine current flavor trends and future flavor predictions throughout the food and beverage industry, including those specific to confections. In addition to the traditional awards program, this year’s Tuesday evening dinner banquet will offer a three course meal featuring a “chocolate theme”, with other confectionery items as ingredient components. Executive Chef Bill Justus, along with Executive Sous Chef Michael Wedderburn, will entertain the audience by making the evening’s meal, plus additional recipes, on stage, “Food Network” style.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Session led by moderator Ronald Bixler, Retired, Mars Snackfood NA
Product Development Disasters; Some Other Root Causes (Hans Dresel Memorial Speaker)
Walter Vink, President, Vink Associates
When a new product fails, the general conception of the failure is that the Market Research Department did not do their job. In fact there are myriad of causes for new product failure. One of the most common causes is the human element; the unauthorized contribution of an individual, in Manufacturing, Purchasing, Quality Control, Engineering or even a supplier, which results in the failure or near failure of a well researched, highly consumer-acceptable product. This paper will examine, through case histories, some examples of such failures and how they might have been avoided.
Panning - The Process
Dennis Zak, Consultant, TMResource, LLC
This presentation will attempt to take some of the mystery out of the panning process through discussion of the major processes that take place: Crystallization and Drying. The discussion will focus on hard panning, but the principles can be applied to soft and chocolate panning as well. The speaker will cover the factors that control crystallization, the role of water, drying, and how air flow impacts panned product quality.
CBEs - A Technological Challenge
Dave Cruickshank - Chocolate Consultant
Love them or loath them, CBEs (“chocolate or vegetable fats”) represent a technological challenge to the chocolate developer. Given the infinite variety of formulations available, how do you specify a product that suits your product and process? Correctly done, the consumer will not notice the change. This paper explores the issues that must be addressed to successfully use CBEs in chocolate.
Texture Measurement in Confections
Firth K. Whitehouse, PH.D., Senior Applications Scientist, Cargill Incorporated
What is texture and how is texture measured in the world of confections? Texture measurement can be accomplished by instrumental and sensory evaluation means. Quite often, one must rely on both approaches in order to generate meaningful data that establishes quality guidelines for products. This paper will discuss appropriate instrumental and sensory methods that can be used to measure texture in confections, using case studies to illustrate key considerations.
Approaches for "Feel Good" Confections
Pamela Gesford, Senior Consultant, Knechtel, Inc.
In this day of a new focus on the nutrient gaps that exist in many American diets and new “functional” ingredients, new approaches are also needed to create confections that meet these needs and are well received. This paper will discuss these approaches especially in regard to some specific nutrient examples. Samples will be provided to demonstrate these nutrients in one or two confections.
