Confectionery

Marshmallows:
A Light Sweet
That’s a World Treat
Enjoying near universal appeal, be it on their own or as
a component of other confections, marshmallows can be
produced either by depositing and extrusion. Just as vital
for end product quality is the selection of a whipping agent
that holds in air and stabilises the foam.
By Robert Luiten

E
VERY country has its own dis-
tinctive candies and those that are
popular in one part of the world
might not exist elsewhere. But one con-
fectionery product, the marshmallow,
has gained such popularity over the
years that it can be found all over the
world.
Approximately 15 years ago, I was
involved in the first marshmallow pro-
duction unit in the Philippines and that
eventually resulted in a number of new
factories within a short period of time.
From that point, the product spread
over to other countries in the Asia
Pacific and in the last couple of years
I have been involved in marshmal-
low projects in Vietnam, Malaysia
and Thailand.
Marshmallows are aerated can-
dies. They consist of a mixture of
sugars and an aerating agent. The
aerating agent stabilises the marsh-
mallow foam during the processing.
Any pumpable sugar mass can be aer-
ated. However the choice and concen-
tration of the aerating agent determines
if the foam can hold the air (holding
capacity) and retain the air dispersed
in the desired small bubble sizes (struc-
ture).
Furthermore the aerating agent con-
tributes to reaching the required low
densities that marshmallows are well-
known for.
There are two different processes
used for the production of marshmal-
Marshmallows can be
used in enrobed candies,
bars, or as individual
pieces. Pictured is a
co-extruded candy bar
with marshmallow
on the outside and
a jam centre.
low: depositing and extrusion.
Deposited Marshmallows
The deposited marshmallow is usu-
ally a single-colour product with low
density, sometimes available as a
moulded product, e.g. animal figures.
Many variations in the recipe are on
the market and they can be divided into
a number of groups:
1. Ungrained marshmallow
The principal aerating agent is usu-
ally gelatine. There is normally at least
50 percent of corn syrup in the base
syrup formulation, to prevent su-
crose crystallisation. The aerated
marshmallow, before forming and
drying, will have a solids content of
75-80 percent.
This type of marshmallow is
typically whipped to a specific grav-
ity of about 0.5, and may be formed

FOOD & BEVERAGE ASIA FEB/MARCH 2005

 Confectionery

Pictured on page 28: Left: 4-colour extruded marshmallows. Top right: Both types of marshmallow are
Dried grained marshmallow crowns and grained marshmallow figures. found in enrobed candies, bar shapes,
On this page: two cookies from Thailand with a light non-grained
marshmallow deposit and sprinkled with chocolate and strawberry or as individual pieces. The basic in-
vermicelli. gredients are always sugar and a
whipping agent, but the product
by slabbing and cutting, or by mould- ten a multi-coloured product can also be enriched with addi-
ing into starch. Marshmallow is a very with a density of around 0.25- tives to enhance taste character-
sticky material so starch casting is a 0.35, emerging as typically ex- istics in accordance with local
good method of forming as contact with truded ropes on a starch belt. market preferences.
the starch produces dry surfaces. These ropes can then be cut to the re- The sugar part is a mixture of granu-
quired length. lated sucrose with glucose
2. Grained marshmallow Extruded marshmallows need a and invert sugar. Generally,
For this type of product, gelatine is continuous production line, particularly the aerating agent is added
usually the principal aerating agent, but after the aeration. The following as- after the cooking. The soft-
albumen or starch may also be in- pects are important here: ness and texture, chewiness
cluded. The formula will be fairly low • first-in-first-out is necessary and also the hygroscopic prop-
in corn syrup, as part of the sucrose will since the marshmallow starts to gell im- erties of the marshmallow depend on
be deliberately recrystallised to shorten mediately in and after the aeration to the balance of all these ingredients to-
the texture. keep its shape. gether.
Crystallisation is initiated by the • after the aeration, the marsh-
addition of powdered sugar or fondant. mallow does not flow sufficiently to Aerating (whipping) agents
This type of marshmallow is The most common aer-
almost invariably moulded ating agents are colloidal
in starch. The marshmallows materials that form an elas-
are then held in a hot drying tic film around the air bub-
room, which accelerates bles to stabilise the foam.
crystallisation. Colloids are usually large-
molecule proteins or
3. Dried grained polysaccharides having
marshmallow foam stabilisation properties.
These are typically used The most common col-
for pieces added to breakfast loidal aerating agents are:
cereals or deposited decora- Albumen - Dried egg
tions as Easter novelties. whites or soy protein
Here again, the formula is Gelatine - Animal collagen
high enough in sugar and low Gums - Principally gum
in corn syrup, such that the Extruded marshmallows are often multi-coloured arabic (acacia)
marshmallow will grain products with a density of around 0.25-0.35, emerging Starches - Modified
as typically extruded ropes on a starch belt. These
while drying to form a crisp ropes can then be cut to the required length. gelatinised starches
texture. The foams are Agar - Seaweed derivatives
moulded in starch or deposited on make handling easy. The pump of the Algins - Seaweed derivatives
plates (meringues) and then dried in hot continuous aerator is therefore de- Albumens aerate very easily at a
rooms to make them crispy. signed to transport the marshmallow all concentration of 1.0-1.5 percent in a
Deposited marshmallows are usu- the way through the rest of the line syrup, and produce a soft, short texture.
ally processed in a continuous produc- (without intermediate mechanical han- Gelatine may be used at 2-4 percent,
tion line to keep an easy check on first- dling) and exit after the extruder and gives an elastic texture. Gum Ara-
in-first-out. However batch processing • making the multi-colours is bic is usually used at a level of 20-30
is possible also thanks to the starch done in a continuous way by colour/ percent, and makes a tough chewy tex-
moulding process that can fit with both flavour injection after the aeration ture. Modified starches are used at
a batch or a continuous process. • uniform and consistent texture, about 10-11 percent in a formula, and
density and temperature is essential to result in a firm, chewy texture. Agar, at
Extruded Marshmallows have a good performance at the extrud- about 1-2 percent concentration, makes
The extruded marshmallow is of- ing station. a light, soft texture, while Algins, at lev-

FOOD & BEVERAGE ASIA FEB/MARCH 2005

Confectionery

dried egg whites. In the tion. Soy protein forms a less stable
latter case, the albumen foam as egg albumen, but is less expen-
must be hydrated in at sive. So they are often used in combi-
least its own weight of nation.
water for half an hour or
more before use. Egg al- Lactalbumen
bumen foams easily in a Protein derived from milk that
beater to form a light, when modified produces a foam simi-
tender texture, but it can lar to that of egg albumen, and is less
be over-beaten, or subject to over-whipping. Here again,
beaten down. it may be used in combination with
It will begin to co- other albumens, or with other aerating
agulate above 70˚C, and agents.
coagulated albumen is
Grained marshmallows can be moulded in
starch to form attractive shapes. ineffective as an aerating Gelatine
agent. So the process Gelatine is normally refined animal
els of 0.5-1.0 percent produce tough must be designed to avoid exposure to protein extracted from skins or bones.
textures. high temperature. Several extractions are usually made
The aerating agents may be used Since hot fluid syrups do not easily from one batch, and gelatines of vari-
in combination, and the proportions foam, this is usually not a problem, and ous gel strengths are blended to pro-
may be varied, to produce the desired aeration of a syrup will generally be at duce grades of standardised strength.
behavioural characteristics in process- higher temperatures than 50˚C. Albu- A bloom count designates gel strength.
ing, and the desired final texture. Cost men is a protein, and it will support bac- For marshmallows, gelatine of
may also be a factor in the choice of terial growth when hydrated. It must about 200-250 bloom, and having good
aerating agents. be used rapidly and is not normally foaming properties, would be used. All
All of the available aerating agents stored. gelatines will form gels, but gelatine
must be hydrated before use. They may producers are able to blend select
be ineffective unless the correct pro- Soy albumen gelatines for their aeration and foam
portion of water is used, and an ad- Modified soy protein, designed for stabilising properties. Maximum foam-
equate period of time for hydration is aeration purposes, foams rapidly and ing occurs at the iso-electric point of
allowed. The quantity of water required is not readily subject to whipping down. the gelatine, which for acid extracted
varies from agent to agent. The amount It must be hydrated in the same way as gelatines is in the pH range 5-6.
used in any specific formulation will for egg albumen, but is more readily Gelatine must be hydrated in at least
also be depending on the desired final soluble. Here again, precautions must its own weight of water, and usually
moisture content of the product. Most be taken against bacterial contamina- two-to-three times its weight. It may
of the aerating agents are not be degraded by high tempera-
easy to hydrate. They require ture, which reduces its aeration
substantial quantities of water, capability, and its foam may be
good agitation for dispersion, weakened if the aerating tem-
and usually a period of time for perature is too low. Gelatine
the hydration of every particle. forms an elastic texture and is
By far the most widely used the most popular aerating agent
aerating agents are albumen and for marshmallows.
gelatine. For gelatine, those
most commonly used are the Gum arabic
higher bloom strength grades, This is a vegetable polysac-
which may be blended espe- charide, derived from the aca-
cially for high aeration with low cia tree, having a solubility of
viscosity and high gel strength. about 45 percent in water. A
large portion of gum is required
Egg albumen to form a stable foam, which
This can be natural egg Dried grained eggwhite-based marshmallows then sets to a tough chewy tex-
white or in the form of spray- with chocolate coating at the bottom. ture.

FOOD & BEVERAGE ASIA FEB/MARCH 2005


Starch
Starch marshmallows are rather
tough and chewy-textured. The aerat-
ing syrup is prepared in much the same
way as for starch jellies, by cooking the
starch with sugars and sufficient water
to ensure gelatinisation. Modified
starches, as used for starch jellies, are
usually used, but in combination with
other colloidal foam stabilisers.
Agar-agar
An agar marshmallow is prepared
in much the same way as an agar jelly,
by cooking with sugars and water. When
cooled to about 50˚C, agar gels can be
aerated to form a firm elastic foam.
Other gums
Algins, locust bean gum, Karaya or
other vegetable gums may be used as texture modifiers. Gen-
A “wise investment” for Philippine chocolate ball manufacturer
ONE OF Asia’s largest
and top-selling chocolate
and confectionery manu-
facturers, Sucere Foods
Corporation (a subsidiary
of Twin Oaks Foods Cor-
poration) has made what
they call a “wise invest-
ment” in the ROBAG Vertical Form
Fill & Seal packaging machine
from TNA Australia Pty Ltd. Sucere
recently purchased a TNA ROBAG
2Ci, in a Rotary Double Jaw con-
figuration, to pack one of their
popular products – chocolate balls.
Regarded as experts in the in-
dustry, Sucere has gained a solid
Aerating agents stabilise the
marshmallow foam and help
achieving the desirable low density.
The selection and concentration of
the aerating agent determines the air
holding capacity of the foam and
foam structure.
Confectionery and Baking Industry in the Asia Pacific.
reputation in producing quality choco-
late and confectionery products sold in
the Philippines, Thailand, Japan and
other Asian countries. Sucere’s prod-
uct range include marshmal-
lows, enrobed products,
panned products and other
confections such as fondant,
streusels and chocolate top-
pings. Sucere takes pride in its
dedication to quality and cus-
tomer service; an innovative
approach to research and de-
velopment; and state-of-the-art
manufacturing facilities in
Bulacan, Philippines.
Sucere first witnessed the
TNA ROBAG 2Ci in action at
Interpack 2002 in Germany. However,
with about 85% of the factory filled
with one particular brand of machin-
ery, the challenge was set for TNA to
break into this new ground. A return
on investment (ROI) examination dem-
onstrated that TNA would be able to
increase Sucere’s productivity by in-
creasing their packaging capacity as
Confectionery
erally they are not strong enough to
maintain a stable foam and conse-
quently they are used in combination
with other colloids.
Literature:
• ‘A Light Sweet Becomes a World
Treat’ by Robert Luiten (March 1991)
• ‘Technology and Techniques in
Marshmallow production’ by Reg
Groves (September 1995)
Enquiry No: 017
Robert Luiten (rgf@wxs.nl) has a
BSc degree in Chemical Engineer-
ing. He has worked in the Food
Processing Industry for more than
25 years and particularly in the
processing and continuous aeration
of viscous products in the Dairy,
well as reducing their rejects and
product wastage rate.
A steady increase in demand for
Sucere’s products prompted the
company to invest in more process-
ing capacity – specifically, a highly
reliable, efficient and cost-effective
packaging machine. In the end,
Sucere decided to purchase from
TNA, and within two months, the
ROBAG 2Ci was installed, running
faster than Sucere had expected.
“Sucere’s plant productivity has in-
creased by 30% since the installa-
tion” says Sucere Plant Manager,
Mr Rodel Casison.
Mr Casison continued to say
that, “the ROBAG 2Ci is running
at the speed of 110 bpm with weigh-
ing efficiency above 90%. Aside
from the high output, the machine
is also able to produce and main-
tain good quality products. With this
increase in productivity and good
quality, we are certain of a quick
return on investment”.
Enquiry No: 018
FOOD & BEVERAGE ASIA FEB/MARCH 2005