Royal Avebe won an international innovation award at the 2026 World Confectionery Awards. The Groningen-based cooperative received the award for PerfectaGEL®, an innovative potato starch that reduces the drying time of vegan gummies from a maximum of 72 hours to just 3 hours.
The award was presented on September 10 during the World Confectionery Conference in London, following an evaluation by the independent editorial board of the trade journal *Confectionery Production*.
The Bottleneck Nobody Talks About
Drying is the limiting factor in the production of gummies. For example, vegan gummies made from starch and plant-based ingredients require an average of 36 to 72 hours in the drying oven. For most manufacturers, this drying oven—not the dosing machine or mixer—determines the factory’s maximum production capacity. Every hour of drying time means energy consumption, tied-up capital, and CO₂ emissions.
For manufacturers switching away from gelatin, an animal-derived ingredient, the problem becomes even greater: replicating the texture of gelatin is difficult, but replicating its production efficiency has proven even more challenging.
Two Solutions
Avebe's technical experts worked on two solutions.
PerfectaGEL® ISET – an instant-setting potato starch that reduces drying time from up to 72 hours to just 3 hours. This technology makes it possible to produce vegan gummies much faster, without compromising on quality or taste.
PerfectaGEL® FS – manufacturers add approximately 1% to their existing formula and achieve up to 50% shorter drying time or a drying temperature that is up to 50% lower. No recipe adjustments or modifications to existing equipment are required.
“This award underscores that we have solved one of the biggest challenges in gummy production. PerfectaGEL® helps manufacturers reduce drying time, save energy, and create new opportunities for plant-based gummies—all without compromising on quality.” Marco Overdulve, Sales Manager Food EMEA, Royal Avebe.
Source: Royal Avebe
Image: Wybren Bakker & Stefan Wessel, confectionery applications specialists at Avebe.
More than 700 participants laced up their running shoes on Friday 11 September for the seventh edition of the Campus Trail. This set a new participation record for the annual fun run across Zernike Campus Groningen. Employees of companies and knowledge institutions, students and other members of the campus community completed the approximately 6.4-kilometre course together. The official opening remarks were given by Hans van der Aa, Chief Technology & Operations Officer at PolyVation, who is once again taking part in the Trail this year together with many of his colleagues.
The large-scale Lifelines population study is inviting new participants for the first time in twenty years. The study is seeking around 16,000 relatives of existing participants. This expansion has been made possible by a grant from the National Programma Groningen (NPG).
The 2026 Kavli Prize was awarded last week. Alongside the Nobel Prize, the Kavli Prize is regarded as one of the highest honours in science and is awarded every two years by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.
