Royal Avebe wins World Confectionery Award for gummy drying breakthrough

Potato starch technology cuts the industry’s biggest production bottleneck from days to hours

Groningen, the Netherlands, 11 September 2026 — Royal Avebe has won the Ingredients Innovation category at the World Confectionery Awards 2026 with PerfectaGEL^®, a potato starch portfolio that cuts gummy drying times from as much as 72 hours to as little as 3. The award was presented at the World Confectionery Conference in London on 10 September, following judging by the independent editorial board of Confectionery Production magazine.

The bottleneck nobody talks about

Drying is the quiet constraint on gummy manufacturing. Starch-based and plant-based gummies typically need 36 to 72 hours in the drying cabinet, and for most producers that cabinet, not the depositor, not the mixer, sets the ceiling on total factory output. Every hour of drying is energy burned, capital tied up and CO₂ emitted.
For manufacturers moving away from gelatin, the problem compounds: matching gelatin’s texture is difficult, and matching its production efficiency has been harder still.

Two routes out

Avebe’s technical experts worked on two routes out.

PerfectaGEL^® ISET — instant-setting potato starch. Drying from up to 72 hours to as little as 3. The first starch proven in both traditional starch moulding and rigid starchless moulds, and stable across pH, which finally makes fortified vegan gummies practical.
PerfectaGEL^® FS — add around 1% into your existing recipe. Up to 50% less drying time or temperature. No reformulation, no equipment changes.

“This award recognises an innovation that addresses one of confectionery manufacturing’s biggest hidden challenges. PerfectaGEL^® helps manufacturers reduce drying time, save energy and create new opportunities for plant-based gummies, all without compromising on texture quality.” Marco Overdulve, Sales Manager Food EMEA, Royal Avebe.

Wybren Bakker & Stefan Wessel, Confectionery applications specialists at Avebe.