Pharmaceutical | Medical gummy candies

In the preparation of medical gummy candies, cooking and blending of sugar solutions, gelling agents, additives and functional ingredients must be controlled to obtain proper textural characteristics and shelf stability. Anton Paar’s inline refractometer L-Rix 5100 has proven very successful in measuring the concentration of gummy syrup and thus guarantees an accurate dissolving and blending process.

Gummy candies

Gummy candies, also called jelly candies or jellies, are a broad category of gelatin-based chewable sweets, widely popular as gummy bears and jelly beans.

Depending on the target markets, they are made from gelatin, pectin or carrageenan, together with sugar, glucose syrup, purified water, additives and functional ingredients or even pharmaceutical APIs.

One of the first stages in the manufacturing process is the preparation of the gummy syrup in a concentrated form, typically at a target concentration between 75-82 °Brix. For this, gelatin, pectin or carrageenan is first dissolved in purified water at elevated temperatures to stabilize the protein and then mixed with the cooked sugar and glucose syrup. The resulting gummy syrup is then moved to the buffer tank and blended with colors, flavors and other excipients, before being deposited in the molds.

Manufacturing gummy products for the pharmaceutical industry mirrors this process, however, the gummies will also contain an active ingredient intended to provide a specific health benefit.

An integrated, fully-automated concentration measurement of the jelly syrup ensures the proper °Brix value, which is crucial to ensure the quality of the end product. Anton Paar offers continuous measurement of the concentration of sugar solutions up to 100 % and up to 120 °C with the highest accuracy and reliability.

During mixing and blending air is introduced into the sugar solution and the arising bubbles can negatively influence the measurement of the syrup concentration. Because a refractive index measurement is unaffected by the presence of bubbles, an inline refractometer is perfectly suited to measure the intermediate product.

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