Confectionery Surface Treatment

Cooperation with CAPOL – Identifying the starting points for collaboration

Founded in 1975, CAPOL is today a leader in the surface treatment of confectionery. From glazing, release, sealing and masking agents to coated acids and machine release agents, proven formulations and in-depth process expertise are the basis for highly innovative and efficient solutions in confectionery finishing. The company’s portfolio includes more than 250 products, with brand names such as CAPOL, CAPOLAN, CAPOLEX and FIX GUM well known in the industry. Customers include almost all major confectionery manufacturers worldwide. CAPOL has been part of the Freudenberg Group since 2013.
 

Interview with Lourlee Briones, Global Business Development Manager at CAPOL.

Surface treatment of confectionary Surface treatment of confectionary

What challenges do you face in the surface treatment of confectionery?
Our products are applied in the final step before the confectionery is packed. The finishing is only a small step, but it is the most important one. The crucial parameters in the finishing of the chocolate dragées or sugar lentils are the relative humidity and the temperature of ambient and process air. There is an optimal range for these parameters. If you are below or above it, the result is not optimal. Experienced users can achieve good results even under difficult conditions, but at the cost of longer process times. In the case of gummies, it is mainly a matter of getting the dosage right to achieve a good anti-sticking effect and to produce perfect products from a sensory point of view.
 

How important are factors like product shelf life and product contamination in confectionery production – how do you tackle these with your products?
The shelf life and safety of products is just as important for confectionery as for other foodstuffs. CAPOL meets the highest quality standard, in which international food safety standards are established and also continuously improved. Glossing, sealing and release agents contribute to product shelf life by protecting confectionery from premature drying, significantly improving appearance and preventing stickiness. All these protective effects help to give confectionery a longer shelf life. We counteract possible product contamination with strict quality control of our raw materials, HACCP measures in production, and the use of flawless packaging materials. This is how we ensure that we keep the quality of our products at a high and consistent level.

“ It goes without saying that our products are manufactured in compliance with all hygiene requirements, so that we can offer microbiologically flawless and safe products.”

Which food industry hygiene requirements must your products meet; what certifications do CAPOL customers have?
Hygiene requirements are part of the valid and recognized standards in the food industry, such as BRCGS, IFS, etc., under which we are certified. It goes without saying that our products are manufactured in compliance with all hygiene requirements, so that we can offer microbiologically flawless and safe products. These standard market certifications are of great importance for our customers in the confectionery industry. It depends on the size of the company how many recognized certifications a food company has established in parallel. The relevant legal requirements are incorporated in all standards.

Source: Michaela Kuhn, LichtFormArte

Which trends in confectionery production do you address with your product range?
One keyword in this context is clean labeling. Many manufacturers are striving to keep their ingredient lists clean in the interest of consumers and to rely on natural ingredients or organic ingredients.
Clean labeling is important not only for the product itself, but also for the manufacturer’s reputation. This includes the origin of ingredients, supply chains and sustainable, ethical manufacturing practices. Increasingly stringent regulations from food manufacturers are fueling this trend. In addition, interest in vegan confectionery is growing, so vegan surface treatment solutions are more and more in demand, especially in Central and Western European countries. There is also growing demand for reduced- sugar, sugar-free and gluten-free confectionery. With our broad product portfolio, we are targeting key market trends.

“We see ourselves as application experts – this links us with our filtration colleagues, who in turn are the experts in their field. We complement each other for the benefit of the customer. ”

Where do you see synergies in the cooperation with Freudenberg Filtration Technologies?
CAPOL is committed to improvements in efficiency, performance and ingredients. Efficiency optimization also includes the fact that, beyond our area of responsibility, we are happy to focus on hygienic ambient air or recommendations for air conditioning under critical production conditions, advise our customers accordingly and put them in touch with the air purification specialists at Freudenberg Filtration Technologies. We see ourselves as application experts – this links us with our filtration colleagues, who in turn are the experts in their field. We complement each other for the benefit of the customer.

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