CFW offers fan-assisted drying solutions for confectioners. Our cost-effective and robust products are the result of advanced design, rigorous testing and years of meeting our customers’ specifications. Both standard and custom units are available. We also supply a range of dehumidifiers.

Many kinds of confectionery products need to go through a drying tunnel or chamber before they are cooled, such as jellied items and gumdrops. Serving the market well, and keeping profits high, demands that drying should be an energy-efficient process, with low product rejection rates. Poorly controlled drying can lead to a number of problems that result in production losses or downtimes.

The hygroscopic ingredients in candies and confectioneries, such as corn sugar, corn starch and sorbitol, can absorb ambient moisture when the ambient relative humidity is high, leading to uneven drying and non-uniform or unattractive surfaces. Excessively fast drying due to high temperatures at the start of the process causes “case hardening”, where a tough surface forms that impedes further drying by preventing moisture from passing through. If the finished product contains more than 4% moisture, it is likely that sugar will crystallise on the product. In the chocolate industry, “sugar bloom” that emerges owing to condensation is a key concern, making the product look dull. Moist, sticky products can cling to packaging and machinery so that production speed is reduced and sanitation becomes more difficult.

An even circulation of sufficiently dry air in the drying chamber prevents these problems. Air can be pre-dried with a dryer if necessary. Coated candies and chocolate-covered products in particular can benefit from faster drying with dehumidified air, as high temperatures can cause deformation or melting. Drying systems must exhaust moist air for optimum drying.

With good dehumidification and drying systems in place, continuous, high-speed production of consistently high-quality confectionaries is made possible.