In an illustrative embodiment, systems for designing and producing customized food products include receiving a request to design a customized food product containing a printed edible medium. The systems may calculate, based on product inventory at a preferred bakery, a preparation lead time for the food product where the product inventory includes availability of printed edible media substrates. The systems may present customization user interface screens that provide customization options for the food product. The systems may convert customization option selections made at the customization user interface screens into decorating instructions for the food product and transmit the decorating instructions to the bakery. The systems may determine a position in a preparation queue for the food product based in part on attributes of pending food product orders in a preparation queue at the bakery.

Described are coated food products having a sugar (sucrose) coating, the coating exhibiting desirable levels of sucrose crystallinity and a desired sucrose ratio (total sucrose per total soluble solids), as well as methods or preparing such coated food products and coating.

There is provided a hard panned coating, and a hard panned confection comprising an edible core coated with the same. The hard panned coating comprises multiple sugar syrup layers, only some of which further comprise one or more sucrose esters. In some embodiments, titanium dioxide may be excluded from the sugar syrup/sucrose ester layers. In these, and other, embodiments, the hard panned coatings exhibit one or more L*, a* and b* values within 5% of the corresponding value of a colorant overcoat applied over a precoat comprising titanium dioxide. Raw material cost savings are thus provided, while yet providing a confection having enhanced properties.

A method of preparing a composite foodstuff is provided and comprises providing a core, providing a barrier composition and applying the barrier composition to at least a portion of the core and providing a fat based coating having a lower fat content than the core. The fat based coating is applied to the barrier coated cores. The hardness of the fat based coating does not decrease over a period of storage.

A method of preparing a composite foodstuff is provided and comprises providing a core, providing a barrier composition and applying the barrier composition to at least a portion of the core and providing a fat based coating having a lower fat content than the core. The fat based coating is applied to the barrier coated cores. The hardness of the fat based coating does not decrease over a period of storage.

Edible print substrates can be formed into multi-layer constructions including a bottom layer having a moisture retardant formulation and an image printability layer having a colorant-absorbent formulation. When positioned on a foodstuff, the bottom layer is formulated to inhibit migration of moisture from the foodstuff to the image printability layer, thereby inhibiting blurring of a printed decoration applied to the image printability layer. The image printability layer is formulated to maintain stability of a decoration printed thereon, resistant to bleeding and fading over time.

Coated confectionery products and methods of manufacturing the same are disclosed herein. The coated confectionery products include a confectionery center. A first coating including a carbohydrate and a buffered acid surrounds the confectionery center. A second coating including a carbohydrate and a sucrose esters surrounds the first coating. A third coating including a carbohydrate, a colorant, and a flavorant surrounds the second coating. In addition, a fourth coating including a polishing agent surrounds the third coating.

Coated confectionery products and methods of manufacturing the same are disclosed herein. The coated confectionery products include a confectionery center. A first coating including a carbohydrate and a buffered acid surrounds the confectionery center. A second coating including a carbohydrate and a sucrose esters surrounds the first coating. A third coating including a carbohydrate, a colorant, and a flavorant surrounds the second coating. In addition, a fourth coating including a polishing agent surrounds the third coating.

The subject matter of the invention is a sugar-free hard dragee consisting of a compressed core and a hard coating completely surrounding the compressed core, wherein the hard dragee is sugar-free. The compressed core contains a mixture of erythritol. D-sorbitol and steviol whereas the hard coating contains a mixture of D-maltitol, erythritol and stevia/steviol. The hard dragees according to the invention surprisingly have a good compatibility in spite off the combination of sugar replacement substances and non-sugar sweeteners. Moreover, the compressed cores of the hard dragees according to the invention have a very good compressibility.

The subject matter of the invention is a sugar-free hard dragee consisting of a compressed core and a hard coating completely surrounding the compressed core, wherein the hard dragee is sugar-free. The compressed core contains a mixture of erythritol. D-sorbitol and steviol whereas the hard coating contains a mixture of D-maltitol, erythritol and stevia/steviol. The hard dragees according to the invention surprisingly have a good compatibility in spite off the combination of sugar replacement substances and non-sugar sweeteners. Moreover, the compressed cores of the hard dragees according to the invention have a very good compressibility.