Quick and easy testing for a Finnish Confectinary

Significance of the topic

Quality control of sugar confectionery requires rapid, reliable and routine measurement of simple carbohydrates (glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose) to support product development, shelf‑life assessment and batch release. Fast methods reduce downtime during intensive seasonal production, improve R&D throughput for new product launches, and help maintain consistent product quality in mixed‑pack assortments where moisture and sugar equilibria affect texture and stability.

Objectives and study / case overview

This case study describes the adoption and operational impact of a discrete enzymatic analyzer (Thermo Scientific Gallery) at Fazer Group’s Chymos factory in Lappeenranta, Finland. The laboratory sought a faster, easier and more robust alternative to their previous HPLC and manual methods for monitoring monosaccharides and disaccharides in finished confectionery products and occasional raw materials. Key goals were to shorten analysis time, simplify sample handling, and ensure accurate quantification suitable for routine QC and product development work.

Methodology

Samples were typically delivered in batches of about 50, with an average throughput of five samples per week handled by a three‑person laboratory. A simple sample preparation protocol was implemented: 1 g of product was diluted into 1 L of water (reported as mg/L and converted to dry weight using system calibration). Enzymatic assay workflows on the discrete analyzer measured D‑glucose, D‑fructose and sucrose directly. Maltose was determined indirectly by measuring the combined maltose+glucose signal then subtracting total glucose. Assay calibration and reporting were performed using Thermo Scientific system reagent kits, and glucose, fructose and sucrose methods were validated following a Eurofins protocol.

Instrumentation used

The laboratory installed a Thermo Scientific Gallery discrete analyzer. This platform enables automated, walk‑away enzymatic assays in a discrete format and uses Thermo reagent kits calibrated for carbohydrate analysis. The Gallery replaced prior HPLC and manual techniques for routine sugar profiling in confectionery matrices.

Main results and discussion

Implementation of the Gallery analyzer delivered several measurable improvements:

• Analytical speed and workflow: Tests became much faster and simpler to run. Routine methods were mastered within one day of training; a second day was used to optimize maltose determination. The discrete analyzer allowed true walk‑away operation, removing the need for constant timing attendance required by manual methods.
• Accuracy and validation: Enzymatic methods provided reliable results and were validated to an external Eurofins protocol, giving the laboratory confidence in glucose, fructose and sucrose measurements.
• Reproducibility: Example result sets showed consistent duplicate measurements across different dilutions (replicate glucose and fructose values and stable response signals), supporting method robustness for routine QC.
• Operational benefits: Compared with previous HPLC workflows, which suffered from co‑elution of sucrose and glucose peaks and required extended time (up to a week in some cases) to ensure correct results, the Gallery eliminated those separation issues and reduced turnaround time substantially.

The laboratory did note one methodological nuance: maltose quantification required developing an indirect calculation (maltose+glucose minus total glucose), which took additional method development time but was successfully implemented.

Benefits and practical applications

The discrete enzymatic approach directly supported Fazer’s operational needs:

• Routine QC of finished products (hard candies, licorice, marmalade, syrups) with rapid turnaround to match production cadence and seasonal demand peaks.
• Support for product development where shelf‑life monitoring and moisture/sugar balance within mixed assortments are critical to final quality.
• Reduced staffing burden during analyses: walk‑away capability freed personnel from frequent manual interventions and decreased workplace stress.
• Short and effective training requirement enabled quick adoption and minimal disruption to laboratory workflows.

Future trends and potential uses

Discrete enzymatic analyzers are well suited for food industry QC labs that require targeted, high‑throughput measurement of specific analytes without the complexity of chromatographic separation. Likely future developments and applications include:

• Expanded panel assays for other carbohydrates and related quality markers (e.g., polyols, organic acids) to provide a broader compositional profile from the same automated platform.
• Integration with laboratory information systems (LIMS) for streamlined data transfer, trend analysis and automated reporting across production lines and seasonal campaigns.
• Improved reagent formats and on‑board calibration procedures to further reduce hands‑on time and extend walk‑away periods.
• Hybrid workflows that combine rapid enzymatic screening with targeted chromatographic confirmation only when anomalies are detected, optimizing resource use.

Conclusion

Adoption of the Gallery discrete enzymatic analyzer at Fazer’s Lappeenranta confectionery laboratory provided a practical, validated alternative to problematic HPLC and time‑consuming manual assays. The method delivered accurate, reproducible measurements of glucose, fructose and sucrose, enabled a workable strategy for maltose quantification, reduced operator workload and accelerated sample turnaround—benefits that are especially valuable during intensive seasonal production and iterative product development cycles.

Reference

Thermo Fisher Scientific. Quick and easy testing for a Finnish Confectionary: Case study (Fazer Group, Chymos factory, Lappeenranta). CS71816‑EN, 2018.