Baker Perkins is launching a series of inventive
confectionery products, incorporating natural foods such as fruit, and functional ingredients including vitamins and calcium.

Two of these innovative products are made using the new ServoGel process. Deposited fruit snacks are 100% real fruit with no added sugar, and a convenient way for both children and adults to increase fruit intake. They 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.

They are made from concentrated fruit paste, as a bite-size piece or a bar; real fruit juice can be incorporated and softer textures used for centre filling. Both adult and child versions may be fortified with vitamins, calcium and other functional ingredients to reinforce the healthy positioning.

Depositing it into moulds that can be shaped and embossed to produce a range of shapes from simple squares, circles or ovals, to fun shapes or characters that will appeal to children.

Baker Perkins works closely with Taura Natural Ingredients on the process and the two companies can provide the necessary equipment, process technology, ingredients and customer support as a complete solution.

ServoGel technology also provides a unique, new and low cost solution for the production of jellies and gums that can be positioned as fruit substitutes . Real fruit pieces can be included within the confection, along with real fruit juice added as a centre filling or in the syrup .

This new capability creates the potential to build a higher-value product portfolio with jellies and gum in low sugar / sugar free formats, with no more than 1% fat.

New versions of the Baker Perkins ServoForm depositor are being launched at Interpack. The latest variant for hard candy is

the ServoForm SFX, used for producing a unique range of
sugar free candy / Xylitol combinations , plus the full range of sugar-free hard candies and functional / medicated confectionery. Xylitol, conventionally used in chewing gum and toothpaste, offers well-proven dental health benefits.

The second 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.