looks like this… fills close to the bottom of mold and slowly rises to reduce bubbles / foaming
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are these a standard option on a depositor like a truffly?
Never used one but I doubt it, do they have any electronic control besides the pid for heat?
For me at least, big piece of it is making sure you have enough time before it gels in the depositor. Iirc, pectin will begin to gel if your pectin if you have enough dissolved solid and the right pH (though if that’s not true my life just got easier), but I have ~30min before gelation occurs with my formulation, I try to not do much more to limit degradation of the bioactives. I have my hopper set to 90C because if I set it higher, the moisture migrates from the material touching the hopper and I’m left with a gummy mass I have to keep scraping off the hopper walls through the day.
The only really variables you have good control over is pH, buffering, and degree of methylation (at least I’ve found). Happy depositing!
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how do you use methylation with your gummies?
thanks
Degree of methylation is the percent of methyl groups on your pectin molecules. It’s a very common specification your pectin vendor will readily provide. Higher DM is faster setting pectin.
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Thank you so much for that explanation. Very helpful!
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Not that it matters, but since creating this thread I’ve nailed pectin through the depositor. We haven’t really leaned on it too hard, but I’ve been able to pump 72,000g through it in an 8 hour shift without any fuss. Reducing my acid content really got the kick time under control 
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Nice, 72,000g as in 72kg of material or 72,000 pc.? I get about 22,000 pc. but they’re 4.5g which is 120kg of starting material.
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72kg, yes. Around 18,000pcs. I haven’t had the need to push it any further yet, but that will come I’m sure.
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By kick time do you mean when the gummy solution starts to stiffen or does it mean something else?
Thanks. Great thread!
yessir! sounds like we are doing the same exact thing.
we use HM-100 and use a trufflymade depositor. Looks like we are on a similar scale too
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Only time my pectin solution gels in the depositor is when the top layer cools enough to gel, which is why I use an over head mixer to keep it mixing constantly so there’s no risk of geling
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Huh, I always thought temp was irrelevant with pectin gelation if said parameters were met. Good to know and I’ll tinker with my temp. Certainly would make lunch breaks easier for my staff lol.
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That’s genius with a big hopper.
Got a link for a cheap one for gummy only use? Don’t need the pneumatic Heidolph
I just use something like this with a food grade mixing tip
You might need to use a spatula to scrap some of the set gummy off the sides but I use this and a spatula to get 99.5% of my gummy into molds. I barely have any waste
It also makes cleaning the depositor a breeze as it’ll mix the water so you don’t even really need to wipe it out since it all dissolves
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thats actually not entirely true - acid should be the LAST thing added. Buffers should be added with the pectin in the beginning. pH and temperature play significant roles in the setup time. Also pectin type does too - there are different kinds. I suggest talking to a pectin supplier about their different offerings and beset practices for making pectin gummies (or work with a consultant). There are many out there.
I can literally remelt my pectin recipe and recast it so not sure what you’re talking about. I dont have any problems with my recipe kicking in my hopper.
Not sure why youre mentioning acid, everyone knows acid is needed for pectin to kick and that its added last. The pectin i use is pH balanced from the supplier with sodium citrate. Ive had great success with this as the pH varies on every single batch of pectin the suppliers get so I get a product thats the same pH everytime. Only thing that might change the pH is the flavoring used which is different but i havent had any problems using my same recipe even with orange.
P.S. the OP i commented on uses the same brand of pectin im using so theres no reason he should be having problems with it kicking in the hopper when i dont unless something is off. 86c on the hopper would make my recipe kick too its too cold
I was just responding to the point about pectin only gelling when its too cold - should have noticed you just meant about your own recipe. Otherwise you are correct - if everything else is sound with the recipe then the holding temperature is causing the gelation. Obviously you already know this but for OP’s original post (I know I’m late to this thread) who didn’t know at the time what the cause was of their gelling and for others who might see this thread and have the same question (and their issue isn’t just heat related) its important to keep in mind that the pH does play a significant role in the gelling with pectin - even when purchasing a pre-buffered pectin. OP even mentioned they adjusted their pH and it resulted in successful depositing. Just offering up some additional clarity around the subject.
Also, HM pectin isn’t thermoreversible so it cannot be melted. There are other types of pectin that can be - other readers might check out: Perfectin’ Pectin
I manage to melt my HM pectin recipe after it kicks and recast it
I think it depends on how much pectin you use
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