Compressed candy (压片糖果 / tablet candy) testing is the laboratory verification that a compressed-candy product meets the confectionery product standard SB/T 10347-2017 (Confectionery — Compressed Candy) and the mandatory confectionery safety baseline GB 17399-2016 (National food safety Standard for Confectionery), together with the food-safety standards they reference. The defining trait of the test — and the part the search results miss — is that compressed candy is a distinct confectionery category in the Chinese standard system, governed by its own product standard (SB/T 10347), and must not be confused with hard candy (SB/T 10018, made by boiling syrup) or with health-food tablets (which carry health-function claims and require registration). The test is a compliance test on physicochemical and microbiological parameters, not a texture-instrument hardness measurement.
Compressed Candy ≠ Hard Candy ≠ Health-Food Tablet
The search results treat "compressed candy" interchangeably with "hard candy," and the first job of any explanation is to separate three products that share a tablet-like form but are governed by different standards:
| Product | How it is made | Governing standard | Regulatory status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compressed candy (this article) | Sugar/sweetener powder pressed into tablets | SB/T 10347-2017 | Ordinary food — no health-function claim |
| Hard candy (硬质糖果) | Sugar syrup boiled and molded | SB/T 10018-2017 | Ordinary food |
| Health-food tablet (保健食品片剂) | Functional ingredients in tablet form | Health-food standards (registration required) | Health food — may carry function claims |
A compressed candy is made by compressing a powder blend (sugar, glucose syrup, sweeteners, flavors, permitted additives) in a tablet press — the same forming process that gives it its tablet appearance. A hard candy is made by boiling a sugar syrup to a high temperature and molding the concentrated mass. The two are different processes producing different microstructures, and they are governed by different product standards (SB/T 10347 vs SB/T 10018). Conflating them — as the search results do — produces a compliance report against the wrong standard.
The distinction from health-food tablets is regulatory, not physical: a compressed candy may look identical to a health-food tablet, but it is an ordinary food that must not claim health functions. Health-food tablets require registration under the health-food administrative regime and may carry approved function claims; compressed candies may not. This is why a compressed-candy test report's product classification matters — it determines which regulatory regime the product falls under.
The Two-Layer Standard Structure
A compressed-candy compliance report is built from two layers, applied together:
- SB/T 10347-2017 — the product standard specific to compressed candy. Specifies the product types, the physicochemical and technical requirements, the test methods, the inspection and acceptance rules, and the labeling.
- GB 17399-2016 — the mandatory confectionery safety baseline that applies to all confectionery. Specifies the food-safety parameters (contaminants, microbiology) and references the broader food-safety standards.
What each delegates to other standards:
| Item category | Where the limit lives |
|---|---|
| Physicochemical (moisture, particle/friability), sensory, size/weight | SB/T 10347-2017 directly |
| Contaminants (Pb, As) | GB 2762 (referenced) |
| Pesticide residues | GB 2763 (referenced) |
| Microbiology | GB 17399-2016 directly |
| Food additives | GB 2760 (referenced) |
A complete report cites both SB/T 10347 (the product layer) and GB 17399 (the safety layer).
The Product Standard: SB/T 10347-2017
SB/T 10347-2017 (糖果 压片糖果, Confectionery — Compressed Candy) is the product standard, replacing SB/T 10347-2008. It is a domestic-trade industry standard (recommended) under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. It defines compressed candy, classifies the product types, and sets the technical requirements:
- Product types — compressed candy is classified by formulation and processing into defined types (e.g., solid tablet, with or without filling, effervescent variants where applicable).
- Sensory requirements — appearance, color, form, odor, and taste, with no foreign matter or off-flavor.
- Physicochemical requirements — moisture (dry-matter control, critical because compressed candy is hygroscopic and gains moisture → softens and sticks), and other technical parameters specific to the compressed-tablet form (including friability/hardness as a handling-quality parameter, distinct from a texture-instrument sensory measurement).
- Dimensions and weight — uniformity of tablet size and weight.
- Test methods — the standard cites the methods for each parameter, ensuring traceability.
The standard covers the full product lifecycle — production, inspection, sale, labeling, packaging, transport, and storage — and the inspection and acceptance rules define how a lot is sampled and judged.
The Safety Baseline: GB 17399-2016
GB 17399-2016 (食品安全国家标准 糖果, National Food Safety Standard for Confectionery) is the mandatory safety baseline for all confectionery, implemented 2017-06-23. It consolidated the former GB 9678.1-2003 (Confectionery Hygiene Standard) and GB 17399-2003 (Chewing-gum-base Confectionery Hygiene Standard) into a single unified confectionery safety standard. It specifies:
- Microbiological limits — the total bacterial count, coliforms, and pathogen panel applicable to confectionery.
- Contaminants — heavy metals (lead, arsenic) per GB 2762, with the confectionery category limits.
- Food additives — per GB 2760, within the permitted uses and maximum levels for confectionery.
A current confectionery safety report cites GB 17399-2016; the two former hygiene standards are withdrawn.
Classification: GB/T 23823
The confectionery-classification standard GB/T 23823-2009 (Confectionery — Classification) provides the classification basis that the product standards (SB/T 10347, SB/T 10018, and the other category standards) reference. It defines the confectionery categories — hard candy, compressed candy, chewy/gel candy, polished candy, gum-based candy, aerated candy, etc. — so that a product is assigned to the correct category and therefore the correct product standard. A compressed candy is correctly classified under GB/T 23823 and tested under SB/T 10347.
Compliance Testing vs Texture-Instrument Testing
A clarification worth making because the search results conflate them: the compliance test (SB/T 10347 + GB 17399) measures physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory parameters against the standard's limits — moisture, contaminant levels, microbiology, sensory acceptability. The texture-instrument test that dominates the search results (the Stable Micro Systems / Mecmesin texture analyzer with a confectionery jig and cylindrical probe) measures physical hardness, fracturability, and crunchiness as a product-development and sensory-research tool. The texture measurement is useful for formulation and quality optimization, but it is not the compliance test — a texture-analyzer hardness number is not an SB/T 10347 result. A compliance report cites SB/T 10347-2017 and GB 17399-2016, not a texture-analyzer load-distance curve.
Our Testing Capabilities
Beijing ZKGX Research conducts compressed candy testing across the SB/T 10347 + GB 17399 framework:
- Product (SB/T 10347-2017): sensory, physicochemical (moisture, friability/hardness as handling quality), dimensions and weight uniformity, with the product-type classification per GB/T 23823.
- Safety (GB 17399-2016): microbiological limits (total count, coliforms, pathogens), contaminants (lead, arsenic per GB 2762), and food-additive compliance per GB 2760.
- Product classification: correct categorization under GB/T 23823-2009 to confirm the compressed-candy standard (SB/T 10347) is the applicable product standard, not hard-candy (SB/T 10018) or a health-food regime.
- Sample types: compressed candies in all types and flavors — solid tablets, filled tablets, effervescent tablets, and mints — including products with added药食同源 (medicinal-and-food-homologous) substances or new-food-raw-materials (which remain ordinary compressed-candy products as long as no health-function claim is made).
- Deliverable: a test report identifying the product, the classification, the standards applied (SB/T 10347-2017 + GB 17399-2016 + referenced standards), each measured value with method citation, and pass/fail.
If you have a compressed candy product requiring compliance verification, contact our testing team to scope the product type, the applicable standards, and the product-vs-health-food classification.
Frequently Asked Questions
What standard governns compressed candy testing?
It is a two-layer structure: SB/T 10347-2017 (Confectionery — Compressed Candy, the product standard) and GB 17399-2016 (National Food Safety Standard for Confectionery, the mandatory safety baseline). Contaminants are per GB 2762, additives per GB 2760. A complete report cites both layers.
Is compressed candy the same as hard candy?
No. Compressed candy (压片糖果, SB/T 10347) is made by compressing a sugar/sweetener powder in a tablet press. Hard candy (硬质糖果, SB/T 10018) is made by boiling a sugar syrup to a high temperature and molding it. They are different processes producing different products, governed by different product standards.
Is compressed candy a health food?
No. Compressed candy is an ordinary food and must not claim health functions. Health-food tablets (保健食品片剂) require registration and may carry approved function claims; compressed candies may not. The two can look identical but are in different regulatory regimes. A compressed candy with added medicinal-and-food-homologous substances remains an ordinary food as long as it makes no health-function claim.
What replaced GB 9678.1-2003?
GB 9678.1-2003 (Confectionery Hygiene Standard) and GB 17399-2003 (Chewing-gum-base Confectionery Hygiene Standard) were both consolidated into GB 17399-2016 (National Food Safety Standard for Confectionery). A current confectionery safety report cites GB 17399-2016.
Is compressed candy testing the same as a texture-analyzer hardness test?
No. The compliance test (SB/T 10347 + GB 17399) measures physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory parameters against the standard's limits. A texture-analyzer test measures physical hardness and crunchiness as a product-development tool. The texture measurement is useful for formulation but is not the compliance test — a compliance report cites the SB/GB standards, not a texture-analyzer curve.