The Liquorice Challenge – Kennedys – July 2013

Liquorice or starch gels begin with a pre-mixed slurry of wheat flour, sugar, glucose syrup, water and other minor ingredients, such as flavours or colours. This slurry is then pumped through a viscotator which is a steam jacketed heat exchanger that cooks the slurry. The cooked mass passes into the extruder, which has two functions; firstly to remove moisture via a vacuum system and secondly to develop pressure for the extrusion control system. Teh extrusion control system is where the final product is really formed. On multicoloured lines, flavours and colours can be added before the shape of the product is formed by the extrusion dies. This is also the time that the liquorice or starch gel can be combined with sugar paste to form a co-extrusion. Sugar paste is the most common co-extrusion, but chocolate, pectin gels and fruit gels are other alternatives. The next stage is cooling the product, typically using a multi-tier tunnel. If the product is to be sugar dusted this is done before cutting by the automatic guillotine.