Pectin jam depositing for Jaffa cakes

Pectin jam is sensitive to temperature, stop-start behaviour, and small viscosity shifts. On sponge-type products like Jaffa cakes, this can often lead to blocked nozzles, off-centre deposits, and unnecessary waste. FoodJet keeps circulation small and controlled, and can use vision (No Product No Deposit, NPND) to deposit only on products that meet your criteria.

Helps reduce waste from off-centre deposits and out-of-spec products (with vision/NPND)
Lower energy use by keeping less jam at an elevated temperature
Deposit different shapes and patterns without alignment tooling

Discuss your pectin jam application Watch the video

Watch how it works

Animation still: pectin jam on Jaffa cake bases

A 70-second animation: vision measures each sponge base, so every base in spec gets a centred disc of pectin jam and rejects get none, also when bases arrive off-centre or unevenly spaced.

Watch the animation (1:10) Request a trial

The challenge of depositing pectin jam

Round biscuits with deposited pectin jam shapes: a heart, a spiral, a swirl, a smiley and a full disc

Pectin jam is sensitive to temperature, stop-start behaviour, and small viscosity shifts. In production, this typically manifests as nozzle blocking during stops, unstable deposit weights, and off-centre deposits on sponge bases. The key is controlling what happens during circulation and only depositing when the product position and quality are within your criteria.

Temperature control across the process (not just at the tank)
Preventing nozzle blocking during stops
Keeping viscosity stable enough for repeatable deposits

Process overview: how we keep pectin jam depositing stable

Step 1: Condition the product
Jam is brought to a controlled depositing temperature and kept within a stable process window.

Step 2: Keep circulation small
Only a small volume circulates through the depositing system. The main volume remains in the tank, reducing heat exposure and limiting the material volume that is affected during stops.

Step 3: Deposit per product
Deposits are applied per product position. With vision (NPND), depositing can be skipped when products are out of position or out of spec, helping reduce waste.

Controlled circulation for stable depositing

FoodJet circulates only the amount needed for immediate depositing. The bulk of the jam stays in a separate tank. During longer stops, you only lose the small amount in circulation, helping minimise decay and cleaning impact.

This helps you:

Run smaller batches without committing a full holding tank
Switch faster between recipes
Reduce waste during extended stops

Lower energy use through smaller heated volume

Instead of keeping a large holding tank at elevated temperature all day, you can keep only a small volume in circulation at process temperature. That reduces the heated mass and helps limit energy use over time.

In internal trials on pectin-jam-style fillings, we often observe that lower depositing temperatures can improve viscosity behaviour and reduce the required cooling time - depending on the recipe and line settings.

Discuss your recipe & line settings Depositing videos

Reduce off-centre deposits and belt waste

Sponge bases are sensitive to size variation and position shifts. In traditional lines, that often forces alignment tooling, and misalignment can still cause off-centre deposits.

FoodJet does not require alignment tooling, eliminating a common source of disruption. When combined with vision (NPND), the system helps prevent depositing on products that do not meet your criteria, reducing belt waste and rework.

What we need from you

Product type and dimensions (Jaffa/sponge base)
Recipe temperature window and viscosity behaviour
Desired deposit weight + shape/pattern
Line speed and pitch variation

Where throughput can improve

The depositing step can stop being the bottleneck when alignment is removed, and depositing remains stable during stop-start production.

Line speed can increase when alignment is no longer required
The depositor can handle higher conveying speeds than many traditional systems
A smaller pitch can increase belt utilisation
Cooling time can be reduced depending on the deposit temperature and recipe

Check out videos

Check all videos

Pectin jam depositing for Jaffa cakes: a centred disc, rejects skipped

Animation: vision measures each sponge base, so every base in spec gets a centred disc of pectin jam and rejects get none, also when bases arrive off-centre or unevenly spaced. More info here
Pectin jam depositing on Jaffa cakes

We managed to give a classic product a makeover while improving the process along the way.
Decorating cookies on trays

The ideal solution for businesses using baking trays. More info here
Chocolate decoration on misaligned Jaffa cakes

Chocolate decoration depositing on randomly aligned Jaffa cakes and biscuits. More info here

Create product variation with the same setup

Two round shortbread biscuits, each with a heart of red jam deposited in the centre

Traditional spot depositors typically place one fixed dollop. FoodJet can deposit shapes and patterns, which helps you create product variation (for seasonal runs or differentiation) without changing your core equipment.

FAQ

What does FoodJet do?

FoodJet is a software-driven precision depositing company for the food industry.
We help industrial food producers control, optimise, and future-proof their depositing processes for sauces, creams, oils, and other food components.

Our precision dosing systems reduce labour, waste, and giveaway at high production speeds. Thanks to a software-based approach, FoodJet solutions are flexible, configurable and ready for future products and process changes.