The ability to demold starch-molded gummies without tearing hinges on a few parameters: gel strength, elasticity, and surface tack, all of which are set by the soluble solids content, measured in °Brix. In traditional formulations, sugar (sucrose and glucose syrup) supplies the bulk of those solids, and formulators cook the syrup to roughly 78-82°Brix to ensure a clean release from the starch mold. Brix tracks total soluble solids, rather than sugar alone. Replace sucrose and glucose syrup with polyols and soluble fiber, and the Brix barely moves; sugar-free gummies still deposit at 78-82°Brix. The demolding problem shows up only when total solids come down. As Brix falls, free water rises, the gel weakens, and the surface turns tacky, so the piece tears when lifted from the impression. The technical challenge is finding the lowest Brix that still yields enough mechanical integrity.
Advanced hydrocolloid blending and careful use of sugar alternatives can push that boundary further. Replacing sugar with high-performance gelling systems (specialized pectins, high-bloom gelatins, or synergistic gum combinations) and bulking with low-calorie agents like polyols (maltitol, erythritol) and soluble fibers (inulin, polydextrose) lets Brix come down while the gel stays firm and resilient. Typical sugar-reduced gummies may run in the 65-70°Brix range, but KorNutra has demolded formulations as low as 55-60°Brix without tearing, provided the team controls the molding conditions, conditioning time, and release agents tightly.
Why Brix matters for demolding
Soluble solids serve several roles. They control water activity for shelf stability, set the gelling speed, and determine how well the gel network holds together under stress. Lower Brix means more free water, which plasticizes the gel, making it softer and more prone to cohesive failure when the piece is pulled from the mold. That free water also sits at the surface, leaving the piece tacky so it clings to the starch dust. Without enough gel structure, the candy rips apart during demolding.
How the boundary is pushed
KorNutra's approach to ultra-low-sugar gummies combines three levers:
- Gel architecture: Tailored pectin-gelatin hybrids and amidated low-methoxyl pectins set with calcium rather than sugar, and they hold a gel at solids levels where high-methoxyl pectin will not set (high-methoxyl pectin needs above 55°Brix). High-bloom gelatin or carrageenan blends add tear resistance.
- Bulk sweeteners that build back solids: Polyols do more than sweeten; they mimic sugar's textural role with fewer calories. Maltitol syrups build back some Brix and give a clean demolding surface. Soluble fibers like inulin and polydextrose add back soluble solids without adding to the sugar count. Polyol dose still has to respect digestive tolerance limits.
- Process fine-tuning: The team adjusts starch moisture content, mold profile, and resting time to match the formulation. A slightly drier mold bed and a longer conditioning phase let the gel strengthen before demolding, compensating for the lower Brix.
By balancing these elements, KorNutra's R&D team has demolded gummies as low as 55°Brix without tearing. That lowers the practical floor for sugar-reduced confectionery. A brand can meet a sugar-free or reduced-sugar label threshold without giving up the consumer's sensory experience or manufacturing efficiency. Supplements and nutraceuticals that deliver active ingredients in a sugar-free format keep the same clean release and shape that starch molding is known for.
What a lower Brix buys on the label
Brix is a process number. A gummy can sit at 78-82°Brix and still carry a sugar-free claim, because maltitol and soluble fiber count as soluble solids without counting as sugars. Under US rules, "sugar free" means less than 0.5 g of sugars per serving, and "reduced sugar" means at least 25% less than a reference product. There is no defined "low sugar" claim. A gummy demolded at 55°Brix only earns a better label claim if the remaining soluble solids are not sugars. What improves the label is the sweetener choice; the Brix reading itself does not change the nutrition panel.
Each further reduction forces formulators to rethink the balance of ingredients and process, but the payoff is a lower-calorie gummy that performs like its full-sugar counterpart.