Marshmallows Business Startup, Comprehensive Guide for Marshmallow Manufacturing Process

Marshmallow is a type of confectionery that is typically made from sugar, water, gelatin, and air and a whipping agent (usually a protein). It’s soft and bouncy candy. Marshmallows come from the sweet sap of the ‘Mallow’ Plant that grows in salty marshes near large bodies of water and grows 2 to 4 feet high.

The marshmallow plant (Althaea Officinalis)

Who invented the marshmallow? No one knows exactly when the marshmallow was invented, it’s history goes back as early as 2000 BC. The Ancient Egyptians were the first one who discovered and enjoyed the sweet treat and take the marshmallow as a privilege strictly reserved for gods and royalty.

Marshmallow Development Milestones

1. 2000BC, Ancient Egypt mix the mallow plant with honey.
2. 1800’s, France, whip the mallow root sap with sugar and egg white Pâté de Guimauve, replace the mallow root with gelatin
3. 1900’s, United States, the starch mogul system
4. 1940’s, Alex Doumak patented the marshmallow extrusion process
5. 1950’s, Modern marshmallows with various shapes of marshmallows.

Marshmallows went from being an expensive confection in Ancient Egypt to an everyday sweet treat and favorite ingredient for many recipes. it has a wide application with Fun:

• A delicious daily candy
• Perfect for s’mores (a campfire treat popular in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, consisting of one or more toasted marshmallows and a layer of chocolate placed between two pieces of graham cracker or cookie)
• Marshmallow treats cupcakes
• S’more birthday cakes
• S’more macarons |French macaron with marshmallow
• Marshmallow sandwich biscuits
• S’more cookies
• Beverages
• Rice Krispie Treats
• Marshmallow treats Brownies
• Handmade Marshmallow pops
• Macaron with marshmallow

You can find more ways to sprinkle marshmallows on your favorite desserts, yogurt, ice cream, hot cocoa, and more!
An interesting fact about marshmallows is Each summer more than 50 percent of all marshmallows sold are eventually toasted over a fire. August 30 is National Toasted Marshmallow Day.

Campfire marshmallow, since 1917, the original marshmallow.

Peeps, since 1953, producing marshmallow shaped into chicks, bunnies, and other animals.

Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallows, since 1958, It has more than 30 different flavors to its brand name.

Dandies, since 2008, Free from most common allergens.

Smash Mallow, since 2016, an organic marshmallow.

In the 19th century, marshmallows were made by mixing mallow root sap, egg whites, and sugar. Then added cornstarch to 1940’s, Alex Doumak patented the marshmallow extrusion process, this help speed up the production and give the marshmallows with various forms.
Today the Mallow root sap has been replaced by gelatin, the marshmallow basic ingredients including Sugar, Corn syrup, starch, purified water, gelatin, flavorings, and colorings.

Sugar
The white stuff we know as sugar is sucrose, Like all compounds made from these three elements, sugar is a carbohydrate. It’s found naturally in most plants, but especially in sugarcane and sugar beets.

Gelatin
Gelatin is the aerator most often used in the production of marshmallows. It is a natural protein derived from raw collagen, which is a safe product. It contains eighteen amino acids, some of which are essential parts of a healthy diet. when the gelatin combined with water it forms a thermally-reversible gel. This means that gelatin can melt, then reset due to its sensitivity to temperature. The melting point of gelatin gel is around 35 °C, which is just below the normal body temperature 36 °C, This is why people say marshmallows “melt-in-your-mouth”.

Glucose Syrup
Glucose syrup also known as confectioner’s glucose is a liquid sweetener that is well-tolerated and very versatile. It is a syrup containing dextrin, maltose, and dextrose. It creates long carbohydrate molecules that get all tangled up and prevents the other sugars from crystallizing and gives the marshmallow candy its translucent appearance.

Purified Water
The universal and the main solvent that you will use in mixing all the ingredients for making the marshmallows. The proportions of water that you add to the mixture for a perfect mixture. It is also the main lubrication ingredient that assists in making the marshmallows soften.

Flavors
To give the marshmallow candy different mouth feeling of flavors. You can also make different types of marshmallow flavors including Lemon, mango, watermelon, orange, apple, strawberry, cocoa among others.

Food Colors
Food color also called color additive, it is the key to making a variety of color marshmallows.

Citric Acid
Citric acid is an important ingredient in marshmallows to help wake up the flavor. It comes from citrus fruits and juices. It’s also a preservative that ensures long shelf life for marshmallow candy.

Today’s marshmallows come in many forms, no matter from solid to semi-liquid or cream-like ones, but In essence, all marshmallows are aerated candies. Let’s see what you can see in the Market marshmallow forms which can be made by commercial marshmallow machines:

What’s the manufacturing process for making marshmallows? Let’s take a small marshmallow production line as an example:

EM50- Exturding marshmallow production line layout design

Step 1: Marshmallow raw materials cooking
Sugar, Water, Liquid Glucose, Sorbitol, Corn starch, Gelatin solution, etc)

Step 2: Marshmallow inflating
A continuous aerator adds the right amount of air into the mixture. the core part of the whole marshmallow production line.

Step 3: Color, Flavor mixing
In-line mixer to avoid manual mistakes for each proportion. To make a maximum 4 color/flavor
injection automatically.

Step 4: First stage starch sprinkling
Sprinkling starch powder on the belt before the former. To avoid conglutination with the transporting belt and absorb the moisture of the bottom marshmallow mixture.

Step 5: Marshmallow forming
The Marshmallows are extruded through a marshmallow extruder machine or marshmallow depositor machine. The forming process involves the foam being squeezed through extruder nozzles or depositing nozzles to produce marshmallow’s shapes.

Step 6: Marshmallow cooling
After the marshmallow been formed, they are sent through a cooling belt.

Step 7: First stage starch sprinkling
Sprinkling starch powder on the belt before the cutter. To avoid conglutination with the cutting knife and absorb the moisture of the marshmallow mixture.

Step 8: Cutting to the length you required (For extruding marshmallow only)
Set up the length numbers, the cutter will move as per your order.

Step 9: De-starching
After cutting the marshmallow to the desired length, the excess starch will be removed in the De-starching mesh conveyor and the de-starch drum.

Step 10. Marshmallow packaging
When the marshmallows are cooled enough will be packed in bags.

There’re two types of commercial marshmallow making machines.

Type A: Extruded & twisted marshmallow line | marshmallow extrusion line

This line produces marshmallows in a wide variety of marshmallow shapes, colors, and sizes in twisted or non-twisted, filled, or unfilled forms.
Marshmallow extrusion line

Type B: Deposited marshmallow line

Marshmallow Depositing compact preparation unit for center-filled articles. It can be totally encapsulated inside of the marshmallow to make a jelly center-filled deposited marshmallow

Marshmallow depositing line

Let’s take a video how marshmallow making by commercial marshmallow making machine?

Video (1) how to make twisted marshmallows by extruding machine

Video (2) how to make jam filled marshmallows

What’re the main parts of the marshmallow making machine?

Marshmallow Kitchen

The marshmallow kitchen including a Syrup Preparation system and mixture cooling system, all the cookers are a double jacket, the system with its own controller, hot water keeping, pumps, and cooling, which combined to one unit.

Marshmallow aerator

The aerator is the heart of the complete marshmallow line, when the mixture goes through the aerator will be mixed with the right amount of air that forms the marshmallow. The air which mixed in the marshmallow candy shall be triple filter(water, oil, dust filtration), to make sure the quality and shelf time of marshmallow candy. The more air that is worked into the mixture, the lighter the resulting marshmallow. so the aerator is the key to produce an ideal marshmallow candy.

Marshmallow Color, Flavor dosing/injection system

This is Marshmallow 4 color/flavor dosing system, when we saw 4colors twisted marshmallows in the market, it’s mixed by this system, the marshmallow mixture after aerating with go through this color, flavor dosing system to make the colorful and your special flavors.

Marshmallow exturder OR Marshmallow depositor machine(choose one)

The marshmallow extrusion heads have extruder nozzles, which will determine the marshmallow shapes: twisted marshmallows or non-twisted marshmallows. change the nozzles, you can get different shapes of marshmallows.

The marshmallow depositor will make stuffed marshmallows or non-stuffed marshmallows: jam stuffed marshmallow, cream stuffed marshmallow, chocolate stuffed marshmallows are made by this depositor.

Marshmallow cooling conveyor/PU belt

Corn starch applicator for marshmallow

The marshmallow machine line has 2 corn starch applicators, which are continuously sprinkling the corn starch on the cooling conveyor.

Marshmallow de-starch drum

The marshmallow de-starch drum will remove the excess starch powder, at the end of the de-starch drum, the marshmallow product will collect in plastic trays for aging before marshmallow packaging.

When the marshmallow candy came out from the marshmallow de-starch drum, it should be placed in the plastic trays. Then moving to the drying room for aging before packaging.

Marshmallow drying room example

Marshmallow plastic trays

Is there any way of marshmallow packaging directly? the answer is yes, you can add the Automatic Marshmallow product cooling and dehydration unit (Check chapter 10), which will lengthen the production line and increase the investment amount.

Automatic marshmallow product cooling and dehydration unit is optional equipment for marshmallow candy manufacturers. Including elevator, multi-layers cooling tunnel, vacuum dust collection system, Recycle starch dryer(Oven), this optional marshmallow equipment will absorb the excess moisture and intensive drying the marshmallow for packaging directly.

What are the advantages of the Marshmallow cooling and dehydration unit?

• No need to built the marshmallow drying rooms.
• Save marshmallow aging time (4-6 hours).
• Save manpower to collect marshmallows to plastic trays and transfer to the drying room.
• Save manpower to move the marshmallows to the packaging machine.

What are the disadvantages of the Marshmallow cooling and dehydration unit?

• Need more place for this unit which connected with the marshmallow production line.
• More costing, but one-time investment, lifetime benefits.

For the marshmallow production line, the capacity from 70~500kgs/h, the belt width from 400~1350mm.

Let’s take the middle capacity line as an example, it needs 4-5workers for the standard type production line, but for the leadership version, need 2-3workers you can get packed marshmallows.

Marshmallows’ shelf life varies from one brand to another. Usually, marshmallow candy water content around 10%, marshmallows last for 6-12 months beyond their “best before date”, getting slightly stickier as they age. The shelf life of marshmallows depends on the best before the date and how they are stored.

So as a marshmallow manufacturer, how to storage your marshmallows? how to make sure the marshmallows stay fresh?

• Choose tight packaging ways, avoid exposure to the air.
• Keeping marshmallows in dark, cool, and dry areas.

The right marshmallow packaging should be eye-catching, easy for retail outlets to stock. Single twist packaging or double twist packaging do not suit marshmallows, marshmallow candy should avoid exposure to the air, Usually, marshmallows packed in the three ways：

• Pillow packaging(individual pack)
• A pouch packing(each bag with a set weight, like 50g, 100g, 1000g)
• A plastic bottle, jar

Common types of packaging for marshmallows

• Raw material suppliers, like sugar, liquid glucose, gelatin, candy additives suppliers.
• Plastic trays for drying the marshmallows before packaging(for leadership line no need this).
• Marshmallow packaging machines suppliers.
• Packing film for marshmallow packaging suppliers.
• Air compressor supplier (aerator and packaging stage will need air compressor).
• Cooling tower supplier, some marshmallow making machine manufacturers can supply it together with the production line.
• Steam boiler supplier, which suits for huge industrial marshmallow production lines.

We suggest you should choose a professional team that can provide the turn-key project solution for marshmallow production lines building up, who has a one-stop operational resource that covers all or parts of the manufacturing bases for marshmallow equipment, marshmallow packaging machines.

And the marshmallow-making machine and its manufacturers & suppliers from China will be a good choice for starting-up or updating your marshmallow business.

Based on your budget and your local workers’ average wage to determine which line suits you. The marshmallow production line can be designed from a semi-auto line to a fully automatic line.

The whole line price range: US$40,000 to US$450,000, you can get a line capacity from 50-500kgs/h.

Aftersales Services

• Free layout design for your marshmallow production line
• Free assembling and installation of marshmallow making machines
• Free trial-production and local team training for how to operate all the marshmallow equipment
• Free marshmallow candy recipes
• The buyer needs to pay US$100/day/person for the technician as the salary. The expense for the round-way air tickets, the board, and lodging, local transportation of our technicians during their stay at the factory are at the buyer’s cost.

Guarantee

• 12 months guarantee since the date of successful installation
• The seller will supply the 2 years spares for free together with the marshmallow making machines
• During the warranty period, any problems/defaults happen on the hard parts of the marshmallow making equipment, the seller will replace the parts or send the technicians to go to the buyer’s site for repairing and maintenance the marshmallow machines at free. If the defaults are aroused by the defaulted operations of the buyer, or the buyer needs the technical assistance for the further problems aroused(after the 1st FREE installation), the buyer should be responsible for all our technician’s service cost and their allowance.

Customer Background:

• The company needs transformation.
• Marshmallow production line 1st, then gummy candy production line.

Customer Requirements:

• High-quality Marshmallow candies.
• European standard marshmallow making machinery.
• Marshmallow Machinery coming with a CE certificate.
• Capacity focus on smaller ones, 100kgs/h.
• Twisted Marshmallow with 4colors, cutting length can be adjusted.
• High-tech, fully automatic line with Marshmallow product cooling and dehydration unit.
• Maximum Save manpower, save labor costs.
• Swift response for problem-solving.

Marshmallow machine ordering process from our Poland customer. This is a long negotiation process but an impressive one.

Yes, this order lasts for 2years, I can totally understand, this is their enterprise transformation, they are new in the confectionery business, they must analyze everything well, make a deep research and minimize the risk.

Poland Marshmallow project ordering timeline

The complete marshmallow shall be delivery time with 120days. but Covid-19 coming with unexcepted, so the manufacturing schedule has been postponed, the payment also been delayed by customer financing. Finally, everything goes well in August.

Marshmallow machine On-line acceptance inspection

We’ve made on-line acceptance inspection, making real marshmallows for their team checking and confirmation. Customers are very satisfied with our work. The honor is ours to handover the right equipment.

Parts of this leadership marshmallow machine photos.

Marshmallow preparation cookers & continous aerator

Marshmallow extruder &cooling conveyor

Marshmallow cooling, dehydration unit & De-starching drum

3D layout design for the marshmallow line

Quick video for this fully automatic marshmallow production line(Leadership)

(This is testing video before shipping, not in the food production condition)

Shipping

The experience will shorten the time to make your marshmallow idea come true. The right machinery will maximum support your marshmallow production.
Our Marshmallow projects around the world.

1.  Syria —2005
2. Bolivia —2013
3. Mexico —2014
4. Peru —2015
5. Viet Nam —2015
6. Algeria —2018
7. Egypt —2019
8. Russia —2019
9. Brail —2019
10. Poland—2020

If you need marshmallow machinery, no matter for Extruding marshmallows or Depositing marshmallows, you can call us freely.
Let’s make a sweet world together.

View detailed marshmallow production lines,