# Fruit gum research puts texture beside taste in plant-based reformulation

> A German consumer study links liking to hardness and stickiness, but commercial-product differences prevent a simple verdict on individual gelling agents.

URL: https://foodradar.org/plant-based-fruit-gum-candy-texture-consumer-liking
Language: en
Author: FoodRadar Editorial
Published: 2026-10-07T11:12:35.961Z
Updated: 2026-10-07T11:12:35.961Z
Source publication date: 2026-08-24
Category: Research
Türkçe: https://foodradar.org/tr/plant-based-fruit-gum-candy-texture-consumer-liking

## The reformulation challenge is in the bite

Replacing gelatine in a fruit gum changes more than the ingredient list. An August study of commercial confectionery found that texture-related liking was closely associated with overall acceptance, alongside taste. Chewy gelatine products received the highest ratings in the tested set, while the results also identified ways in which the texture of plant-based alternatives could influence their appeal.

The research began with 30 products from German supermarket shelves, covering gelatine, starch, pectin and mixed gelling systems. A trained sensory assessment helped select 12 products representing different texture profiles for a consumer test. This was a comparison of finished market products, not a controlled experiment in which the gelling agent was the only ingredient changed.

## Consumers tasted a manageable subset

The consumer study involved 147 adults recruited at a university science event in October 2023. Each person evaluated four of the 12 products, with allocation designed to include different texture groups and avoid excessive tasting fatigue. Consequently, individual products received between 34 and 62 evaluations rather than being rated by every participant.

Participants scored overall liking and individual attributes on nine-point scales, and assessed whether characteristics such as hardness and stickiness were appropriate. Mean overall scores ranged from 4.17 to 7.29. The best-rated product used gelatine and the lowest-rated used pectin, but several products made with different gelling systems occupied the middle of the range. The outcome was therefore more nuanced than a single ranking of animal-derived and plant-based ingredients.

## Hardness has to fit the formulation

In the statistical model, liking of taste and hardness had the strongest positive associations with overall liking. Fruitiness and stickiness liking also contributed. That result concerns how much participants liked those attributes, not a general instruction to make every candy harder or stickier. Aroma liking did not make a significant independent contribution in that model.

The authors report that increased hardness was associated with better acceptance in starch- and pectin-based products, whereas acceptance of gelatine products declined with increasing hardness. Greater stickiness worked against liking in the plant-based products. These patterns suggest formulation-specific targets, but they remain associations observed across commercial recipes with multiple simultaneous differences.

## A useful direction, with limits on causality

The labels did not disclose every relevant formulation detail, including ingredient ratios and some gelling-agent characteristics. Products also varied in juice content, sweeteners, colours and flavours. Within a package, individual pieces could differ in flavour and colour, and this variation was not controlled. Those factors prevent attributing the consumer response solely to gelatine, starch or pectin.

The event-based sample was relatively young and predominantly German, limiting wider generalisation. For developers, the study supports testing texture as deliberately as sweetness and flavour during plant-based reformulation. The next step is controlled recipes paired with instrumental texture measurements and consumer groups relevant to the intended market. The findings identify promising questions about bite and stickiness; they do not establish that one gelling agent is intrinsically preferred in every product.

## Sources and rights

- [Texture Matters: Linking Sensory Properties of Fruit Gum Candies to Consumer Acceptance.](https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13504158?utm_source=foodradar.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_content=plant-based-fruit-gum-candy-texture-consumer-liking-en). Wiley. Izaber-Ludwig M, Catruc Z, Beauchamp J, Freiherr J. Texture Matters: Linking Sensory Properties of Fruit Gum Candies to Consumer Acceptance. Food science & nutrition. 2026. DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.72267. © 2026 The Author(s). Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. [CC-BY-4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/?utm_source=foodradar.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_content=plant-based-fruit-gum-candy-texture-consumer-liking-en-license).

Adapted by FoodRadar.

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