Packaging
Baker Perkins at ProSweets
Tuesday 06. January 2009 - Profitable new ideas for the confectionery industry
Imaginative natural confectionery products, appealing to consumers concerned with health as well as taste and convenience, will be introduced by Baker Perkins at the ProSweets exhibition in Cologne (February 1 – 4 2009, stand number 10.1 E041).
The ability of the ServoGel process to manufacture 100% real fruit snacks from concentrated fruit paste or pulp has been extended, with new formulations giving an array of taste and texture possibilities in both bite-size piece and bar formats.
Pastes, juices, pieces and fillings can all be incorporated into a broad spread of highly cost-effective moulded products. A ServoGel system can sit alongside a fruit processing line to ensure maximum value is extracted from the fruit.
A convenient way for both children and adults to increase fruit intake, these products can be positioned as a ‘good for you’ alternative to conventional snacks and confectionery, or used to bring interest and variety to the health food market. Both adult and child versions may be fortified with vitamins, calcium and other functional ingredients to reinforce the healthy positioning.
The ServoGel process is also suitable for conventional jelly confectionery: fruit juice or fruit pieces may be added to these products to enable them to be marketed with a healthier positioning. Compared with the established methods of making jellies, the ServoGel offers a shorter process, improved hygiene and significantly reduced production costs.
The latest development for hard candy, featured at ProSweets, is the ServoForm SFX system, used for depositing a unique range of sugar free candy /Xylitol combinations, plus the full range of sugar-free hard candies and functional / medicated confectionery – sophisticated products commanding a premium price, even in tough market conditions.
Xylitol, conventionally used in chewing gum and toothpaste, offers well-proven dental health benefits. This type of beneficial confectionery is evolving to fill the gap between medicated and mainstream products, with brands that are as enjoyable as any conventional candy, and also improve well-being. They address health and vitality concerns, and benefits can be as diverse as fresh breath, cough/dry throat relief, energy and alertness, and a ‘feel well’ sensation contributing to relaxation.
A further ServoForm innovation is the deposited flat lollipop. This unlocks a huge potential in end product variety that cannot be achieved by traditional production methods. Flat lollipops can be made in one, two, three or four colours, and as layered or striped products. A range of hard, soft and gum centre-fills adds distinctive texture possibilities while the ability to mould images or words onto the product adds visual appeal and character merchandising opportunities.