Dutch potato starch cooperative Royal Avebe has won the ingredients category at the World Confectionery Awards 2026 for PerfectaGEL, a starch portfolio that brings gummy drying times down from as much as 72 hours to as little as three. The award was presented at the World Confectionery Conference in London on September 10, following judging by the independent editorial board of Confectionery Production magazine.
“This award recognises an innovation that addresses one of confectionery manufacturing’s biggest hidden challenges”
Drying sets the ceiling on gummy output. Starch-based and plant-based gummies typically spend 36 to 72 hours in the drying cabinet, and for most producers it is cabinet capacity, rather than the depositor or the mixer, that determines how much product leaves the factory each week. Every additional hour adds energy consumption, ties up working capital and increases the carbon footprint of the finished sweet. Gelatin replacement has always involved two problems, texture and production efficiency, and the second has proven harder to solve than the first.
Two starches for different production setups
Avebe has taken two routes. PerfectaGEL ISET is an instant-setting potato starch that the company says cuts drying to as little as 3 hours, and which it describes as the first starch proven in both traditional starch moulding and rigid starchless moulds. Stability across pH ranges is what makes fortified vegan gummies practical, according to Avebe.
PerfectaGEL FS is built for producers unwilling to reformulate. Dosed at around 1% into an existing recipe, it reportedly reduces drying time or drying temperature by up to 50% with no changes to equipment or to the rest of the formulation.
“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,” said Marco Overdulve of Royal Avebe.
