Category: Blog/Article

There has been a lot of interest recently in developing products with inclusions that are low sugar or sugar-free.  Foodflo has been developing sugar-free options for customers for quite some time and has a range of options available, including our recently developed Sugar-Free Honeycomb Kibble.

Our popular range of sugar-free products uses isomalt instead of usual sugar or glucose in certain products. This manufactured sugar alternative has about half the calories of sugars. (source)

Sugar Free Butterscotch Kibble Coated 2-4mm

Isomalt (also known as E953 or C12h24O11) is a sugar alcohol commonly used as a substitute in sugar-free products thanks to its sugar-like physical properties while making a minimal impact on blood sugar levels (source). Isomalt is made from sugar in a two-step process and is used in more than 80 countries worldwide (source)

We work with isomalt in a similar way to sugar as part of our hard boiled/kibbled ranges. Thanks to the features of the products, there is less natural caramelisation and inversion, making for high-quality colour clarity and low hygroscopic behaviour. For this same purpose, professional bakers and sugar artists use isomalt as part of their complex creations, as well as home cooks for the “glasswork” inside of snow globe/stained glass cookies.

“This means that not only can our team create a range of great looking inclusions with a texture similar to a traditional sugar-based inclusion, but with the added benefit of a “less sweet” intensity compared to sugar.” Says Terry Cox, FoodFlo International Technical Manager.

Sugar Free Honeycomb Kibble 2-8mm Coated

Isomalt based inclusions are positioned to showcase the desired flavour rather than the “sweetness” of the ingredient itself in a sugar-based option.

With zero net carbs, it is a popular choice for use in sports nutritional snacks as the traditional chip since only about 10% of the ingested isomalt is digested into various sugars in the intestines. (source)

Honeycomb, also affectionately called Hokey Pokey (NZ), Cinder Toffee (UK) or Sponge Candy (USA) comes in a variety of shapes, sizes and textures depending on the intended final product properties.

With more than 50 varieties in production across a range of sizes, shapes and recipes, and over 40 years in business, the FoodFlo International team are honeycomb inclusion experts. They have even developed a sugar-free version of the classic treat.

Honeycomb Types (L to R): Balls, Pieces, and Kibble. Click to enlarge photo for more detail

There are three main shapes for honeycomb inclusions:

• Kibbles
• Balls
• Pieces

Each shape has qualities that suit different applications or outcomes. Combine your desired shape with the recipe for the right amount of fluffiness to the crunch or the depth of the caramelised sugar flavour, and you have an ingredient for your next product worth doing the Hokey Pokey for, they even come in flavoured honeycomb varieties.

No matter your application, we likely have the honeycomb solution. All products either standard range or partnership developed are subject to minimum order quantities and standard lead times.

Kibbles

Caramelised sugar with just the right amount of air pockets is what gives honeycomb it textured name, but it can also be kibbled into various pre-sized mixtures. These crushed and rough-textured kibbles are screened to ensure sizing for your production process requirements and can be coated with cocoa butter, chocolate or other confectionery barriers to keep the product free-flowing and create the desired result in your products. Kibbles are popular in bakery and chocolate applications.

Balls

Full or half-round, and available from 4 – 15 mm across a range of recipes, the classic honeycomb ball is perfect for freeze/thaw applications thanks to the uniform surface area and a layer of protective coating for just the right amount of crunch. Honeycomb balls are also a perfect snack mix addition and are suitable for panning processes.

Pieces

Randomly formed pieces of smooth honeycomb. Not a ball, but also not a kibble. Just right for your gourmet frozen products thanks to their random shapes and sizes for a premium experience without the exposed surface area of kibbles. Perfect for panning, ice creams, chocolate, bakery decoration, and much more.

Lionel walks us through the variety of fudge flavours, shapes, formulations and sizes. With such a range on offer, there is sure to be a deliciously fudgy offering right for your next project be it the softer caramelly fudge balls or the short-grained traditional fudge pieces perfect for ice cream.

Many of us have become more aware of the packaging that is part of our daily activities and its impact. At FoodFlo, we work to carefully balance our use of packaging along with processes to ensure quality and reliability, cost-effectively.

We use a variety of paper products in our packaging such as cardboard boxes and newsprint that our customers already reuse and recycle, but the some of the most recent questions have been about the plastics we use.

Bulk Products & Inclusions

Our bulk products are often sold as a blue plastic liner inside a cardboard box. These liners have a recycle code of 7 as it is a mixture of food-safe plastics.

The lining bag not only ensures safe storage for the food & ingredients inside but is ideal for maintaining quality after manufacture.

Pallets & Pallet Wrap

Many of our orders leave us to travel to our customers on a shipping pallet. Where practical, we use CHEP pallets as this means the pallet itself is managed and maintained to ensure the best life for the resource.

We also use pallet wrap. A pallet wrapping machine helps minimise waste while getting the best possible stability on the load. The pallet wrap we use has a recycle code of 4 and the top sheets have a recycle code of 2.