Team Up for Innovating Tomorrow

Product development at Südzucker: from the initial idea to the finished product

Südzucker offers more than just sugar – we also support our customers in developing innovative products and customised solutions for their applications. We spoke to Stephan Marhöfer, one of our fondant experts and application engineers, about innovative customer projects in the field of fondants and icings, the challenges he encounters in the process and current trends he sees in the sector.

Südzucker: What is the process for developing new fondant products?

Stephan Marhöfer: When a customer wants to develop a new product or needs support in adapting existing products, they come to us with their ideas and requirements. I start by discussing the framework and their specific product requirements with them. This can include pricing, production conditions or product characteristics such as being kosher, halal or involving the avoidance of certain allergens. Customers also often have special requests, such as a red-coloured and flavoured glaze. Among other things, I need to know if the icing is going to be applied industrially or by hand, or if the product is going to be frozen, because then the icing has to be stable at both freezing and thawing temperatures so that the product still looks good after thawing.
I only start the actual development work once I have all the information I need. It is important to know what ingredients are going to be used, how they will interact and how they will affect the final product.

We then start to develop the recipe and make samples. If we are satisfied with the laboratory samples, the recipe is evaluated by Südzucker’s product safety department and the list of ingredients is drawn up and checked, together with the sales descriptions. Finally, everything needed to create the label for the product and the product specification is implemented. These are important release parameters that we later need for the quality control laboratory – in other words, this is where the parameters are set that will later be checked for product approval.
We then send the finished samples to the customer for evaluation. They test the samples in their laboratory and give us their feedback. If the customer is still not 100% satisfied, we go back to the drawing board and make adjustments based on the customer’s feedback on the lab samples, a process known in the lab as ‘fine-tuning’.

In addition to product safety testing, upscaling is carried out in our production facilities – that is to say, the product is transferred from laboratory scale to our production facilities. The customer then receives a larger sample from the test production to carry out upscaling in their own production. If all goes well and the customer approves, our development work is done.

Südzucker: What challenges do you often face when developing fondant solutions and how do you overcome them?

Stephan Marhöfer: A big challenge is getting into the customer’s production process to carry out a test production first. Each customer has different production specifications: specific machines and different environmental conditions such as temperature or humidity. This is an exciting part because there is no blueprint. That is why this step is absolutely necessary. It is always best if we are at the customer’s site for the scale-up, so that we can adjust the parameters directly with the customer on-site if necessary.

Südzucker: Can you share your recipe for success in product development?

Stephan Marhöfer: I know from experience that successful products are usually the result of co-creation with the customer, ideally in the customer’s laboratory. When ideas are born and grow through interaction, it is very goal-oriented. I always try to approach developments together with the customer, because the combination of our know-how and the customer’s knowledge is the basis for a successful product.

Südzucker: Can you give us an example of a successful project where you have worked closely with a customer?

Stephan Marhöfer: We have had several successful projects involving flavoured fondants (such as orange, lemon, etc.) and chocolate. In these cases, we were approached by customers who wanted us to develop special fondants as fillings for their products. We pooled our expertise in the laboratory and quickly achieved the desired result. It was this close collaboration that made it possible to complete the projects in the shortest possible time.

Südzucker: How do you identify new trends and what trends do you see in the future?

Stephan Marhöfer: I spot trends by keeping my eyes open when I go around the world. Take trade fairs, for example. I talk to companies, to other food technologists and to machine manufacturers. I read studies, such as our Sweet Trends Report, exchange ideas with colleagues and always keep my ear to the ground with regard to the market.

One trend I see at the moment is the desire for reduced sugar. This can be a subtle reduction (without it being advertised on the end product) or a more visible reduction, such as a ‘30% less sugar’ claim on the pack.
We picked up on this trend and looked at how we could help our customers reduce sugar. We have developed and patented a recipe for reduced-sugar fondant in paste and powder form. We now offer our customers an innovative product: fondants with 30% less sugar in several varieties.

Südzucker: Thank you, Stephan, for sharing this valuable insight into product development at Südzucker. We look forward to following your future innovations and wish you and your team continued success.

Expertise in Fondants

Stephan Marhöfer
Product Development
Südzucker AG

Stephan Marhöfer has been with the Südzucker Group for more than 20 years. He began his career in 1989 with an apprenticeship as a chemical laboratory assistant in the R&D department in Offstein, Germany. After studying beverage technology, he returned to Südzucker in 2003. Today, he works as a research assistant in food application technology.

His main area of expertise is fondant product development and application, where he also provides technical customer support. He is also involved in caramel product development. As a member of the Südzucker Group Innovation Team, he evaluates start-ups in order to drive forward innovative ideas and projects.

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If you need assistance with product innovation or adaptation, or would like to learn more about reducing sugar in your products, please contact us. Our experts at the Central Research Department & Services (CRDS) are here to help. Our dedicated teams of food technologists, sugar technologists and application specialists are constantly developing and optimising new recipes, applications and sweetening solutions, especially for speciality sugars.