New Laboratory Depositor

Enhanced Confectionery Product and Process Development Capability

Baker Perkins has enhanced its product and process development capability for the confectionery industry with the installation of a new laboratory-scale depositor in its Innovation Centre. The ability to handle three components of hard or soft candy simultaneously widens the variety of confectionery that can be made.

The Baker Perkins Innovation Centre is a resource where customers develop new products and processes, produce samples for test marketing, and conduct feasibility trials. The new depositor, which replaces a two-component model, can make sophisticated confectionery with features such as stripes, swirls, centre-fillings and layers. Capability includes hard candy and lollipops, as well as soft candies such as jellies, gums, toffee, caramels and fondant.

There is full electronic control over production parameters including timings, speeds, phasings and deposit volume, with adjustment ‘on the run’. Enhanced hygiene features improve operation, cleaning and maintenance.

Both the depositor and cooking equipment in the Innovation Centre replicate precisely the procedure of a full-size plant – results can be scaled up accurately for research, product development and test marketing purposes, with the minimum of time, effort and cost.

Companies from every part of the world find that thorough trials, often using their own local raw materials and moulds from their production scale depositor, provide a reliable basis for trouble-free commissioning of a new plant or launch of a new product range.

Businesses still using conventional technologies such as die forming use the Innovation Centre to convert to the depositing process, whilst maintaining the distinctive qualities of their product portfolio.

Confectionery customers install laboratory scale depositors to develop products without costly use of industrial-scale plant, and to make small-scale runs for test marketing. Ingredient and flavour suppliers also invest in these machines for development purposes.