Sour gummy sweets have long been a favourite with kids and grown-ups alike. That iconic zingy flavour is achieved by coating the gummy in a mix of sugar and powdered acid. But over time, a chemical reaction called acid hydrolysis occurs, leading to sugar inversion. This causes the sweet to appear sticky and wet – and much less appealing to the consumer.
The CoreShell Difference
Our CoreShell encapsulation technology involves coating the acid particles in a lipid barrier, which protects them from humidity and moisture until they can be enjoyed by the consumer. This results in an extended shelf-life, and a longer-lasting sour flavour.
CoreShell encapsulation offers:
- High-quality granular particles of between 400 – 1500 microns (depending on product)
- Superior protection against moisture, keeping active ingredients dry and crystalline
- Quality throughout shelf life of product by reducing hygroscopic nature of core materials
- Reduced rate of reaction between incompatible ingredients, giving ability to control when product reacts
Click here to find out more about the CoreShell range.
How to Find Your Perfect Encapsulated Acid
Our CoreShell encapsulated confectionery acids contain an active acid level of up to 95% and can utilise a range of coating materials depending on your requirements.
Citric acid occurs naturally in citrus fruits, and so pairs well with applications using lemon, lime, orange or other citrus flavours. Malic acid works well for stone-fruit or berry flavoured sweets.
When choosing a coating material, the most important factor to consider is the required melting point. Palm oil has a melting point between 42°C and 60°C, while hydrogenated palm oil melts at about 60°C. We’ve been certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, so we only use segregated palm oil to encapsulate our products.
For applications requiring a higher melting point, we can also encapsulate using hydrogenated sunflower oil, which melts at around 70°C.
Our New Encapsulated Acids Whitepaper
We recently carried out a series of studies to prove the efficacy of CoreShell encapsulated acids for sour gummies. Our latest whitepaper lays out our findings.
We set out to identify:
- Whether encapsulated acid has an effect on the inversion of the confectionery
- Whether the encapsulated acid has an effect on perceived acidity
- Which acid is most effective at preventing sugar inversion and retaining perceived acidic intensity
The first study set out to compare the perceived acidic intensity in the flavour of the gummy over a period of 150 days, between a gummy encapsulated in free acid and one encapsulated in CoreShell acid. The results show that CoreShell acids retain 95% more acidity compared to free acid after 150 days.
The second study looked at the difference in sugar inversion over a period of 150 days, between a gummy encapsulated in free acid and one encapsulated in CoreShell acid. The results show that CoreShell acids significantly reduce sugar inversion compared to free acids, even after 150 days.
You can download and read the full Encapsulated Acids Whitepaper here.
Click here to request a sample of our CoreShell encapsulated acids.
