There is still plenty of innovation to discover on the penultimate day of ProSweets and ISM, the two-in-one show currently taking place in Cologne, Germany.

There is significant interest on the Katjes stand, following the crowning of first place in the ISM New Product Showcase awards announced this morning for its Magic Candy Factory – the worlds first 3D printer for fruit gummies.

In around five minutes, a candy weighing 15-25g can be printed in any design, including shapes, names and logos. Various finishes are available, such as sweet, sour or glitter, and the company has developed nine colours ranging from yellow (lemon flavour) to a multi-coloured rainbow option (which has the taste of a mixed fruit blend). These can be applied singly or as a combination.

All products are made without gelatin and with all natural fruit and vegetable extracts, and are vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free.

Over on Beneos stand, a new translucent gum coating technology is making its debut (pictured).

The coating features the companys sugar replacer Isomalt, which crystallises translucently. Ideal for chewing gum manufacturers that want to create shiny pellets with innovative visual effects, the new technology allows multi-coloured gum centres to be coated in a crunchy and translucent way. Various colours, print and sparkle effects are all possible, and remain visible throughout the shelf life.

Packaging machine manufacturer LoeschPack is also in attendance, showcasing its solution for hermetically sealed fold wrapping and flow packs.

An upstream product buffer feeds the unpackaged chocolate bars into the Lomatic automatic feed and distribution system, which passes the chocolate bars to the new LRM-HS fold wrapping machine. It is suitable for smaller chocolate items, such as regular and small bars and neapolitans. Without sealing, the single-lane version can pack up to 600 products a minute.

The latest version of its horizontal F-Series platform for packaging the likes of chocolate, biscuits and chewing gum in flow packs is another stand highlight. The FCB F-Series variant on show in line combination packs up to 800 chocolate bars in hot sealable film at a speed of over 80 metres a minute.