♪♪ Narrator:
GUMMY VITAMINS WERE INVENTED
IN THE LATE THE 20th CENTURY BY A COUPLE
LOOKING FOR A WAY TO ENTICE THEIR DAUGHTER
TO TAKE HER VITAMINS. INFUSED INTO A GUMMY CANDY, VITAMINS ARE NOW A SWEET
AND CHEWY EXPERIENCE FOR BOTH KIDS AND ADULTS. ♪♪ JUST LIKE GUMMY CANDIES, GUMMY VITAMINS COME IN A VARIETY
OF SWEET, FRUITY FLAVORS, MAKING A VITAMIN
A LESS BITTER PILL TO SWALLOW. EACH GUMMY VITAMIN STARTS
WITH A SPECIFIC FORMULA. FIRST, RAW INGREDIENTS ARE
SELECTED AND WEIGHED. SOME ARE IN LIQUID FORM
AND OTHERS ARE SOLIDS. THE NUTRITIONAL INGREDIENTS
ARE BLENDED WITH WATER. THIS PARTICULAR BATCH IS
A MULTIVITAMIN PREPARATION. IT INCLUDES MAGNESIUM,
CALCIUM, AND OTHER MINERALS. ♪♪ IN A SEPARATE TANK, TECHNICIANS
PREPARE THE GELATIN BASE WHICH GIVES THE VITAMINS
A JELLY-LIKE CONSISTENCY. NEXT, SUGAR AND GELATIN PRE-MIX
IS POURED INTO THE TANK. ♪♪ THE TECHNICIAN
ADDS A SUGAR SUBSTITUTE TO THE OTHER INGREDIENTS. MEANWHILE, SPECIFIC AMOUNTS OF
WATER AND GLUCOSE ARE DISPENSED INTO THE TANK. ♪♪ IT TAKES ABOUT FIVE MINUTES TO BLEND THE INGREDIENTS
FOR THE GELATIN BASE. THEN, THE GUMMY VITAMIN BASE IS TRANSFERRED TO
A LARGE HOLDING TANK. IN THE LAB, THE NUTRITIONAL
MIXTURE IS TESTED FOR CONTAMINANTS SUCH AS
HEAVY METALS AND BACTERIA. AN AUTOMATED SYRINGE INJECTS
THE SOLUTIONS INTO TEST TUBES, RINSING IN BETWEEN INJECTIONS. NOW THE SAMPLES IN THE TEST
TUBES ARE READY TO BE ANALYZED. FOR HEAVY METAL TESTING, THE SAMPLE IS INJECTED INTO AN
EXTREMELY HOT VACUUM CHAMBER. THE PLASMA FLAME TURNS THE METAL
CONTAMINANTS INTO ATOMS, WHICH THE MACHINE
READS AS DIFFERENT COLORS. THE MACHINE ALSO IDENTIFIES
AND QUANTIFIES CONTAMINANTS. WITH THE SAMPLES
CLEARED FOR PROCESSING, THEY'RE READY
FOR FLAVORING AND COLORANT. MORE VITAMINS ARE ADDED
IN POWDER FORM TO BOOST THE FORMULA'S POTENCY. THE LIQUID VITAMIN PREPARATION
AND THE GELATIN BASE IS PIPED INTO THE MIXING TANK. THEN, EVERYTHING
IS BLENDED TOGETHER. THE BATTER IS NOW READY
TO BE MADE INTO THOUSANDS OF GUMMY
VITAMINS. A CONVEYOR QUEUES UP
THE VITAMIN MOLDS. MULTIPLE NOZZLES DEPOSIT
PRECISE AMOUNTS OF BATTER INTO SMALL MOLDS. THE CONVEYOR MOVES
THE TRAY FORWARD AS THE GUMMY VITAMINS
BEGIN TO SOLIDIFY. A ROBOTIC ARM STACKS THE MOLD
TRAYS IN A HOLDING AREA. THE ARM GENTLY LOWERS
THE TRAYS INTO PLACE. FOR SEVERAL HOURS, THE PILLS CONTINUE TO
HARDEN IN THE MOLDS. ONCE COMPLETELY SOLIDIFIED, THE GUMMY VITAMINS
ARE REMOVED FROM THE MOLDS AND TRANSFERRED
INTO A REVOLVING DRUM. THE TUMBLE IN
THE DRUM SEPARATES THEM. THEY EXIT ONTO
A PERFORATED CONVEYOR, AND ANY SMALL BITS
FALL THROUGH THE HOLES. THE CONVEYOR ZIGZAGS
BACK AND FORTH, ALLOWING THE GUMMY VITAMINS
TO COOL AND FURTHER SOLIDIFY. THE GUMMY VITAMINS HAVE NOW
REACHED THEIR FINAL CONSISTENCY. THE GUMMY VITAMINS HEAD INTO
A STEAM CHAMBER. THE HUMIDITY FROM THE STEAM PREPS THE VITAMINS
FOR SUGARCOATING. THE SUGAR CLINGS TO
THE GUMMY VITAMINS. AND THE REVOLVING ACTION OF
THE DRUM SHAKES OFF ANY EXCESS, LEAVING JUST A DUSTING
ON THE SURFACE. AT THE PACKAGING STATION,
THE VITAMINS FUNNEL INTO CHUTES WHERE SENSORS COUNT AND RELEASE
THE PILLS INTO BOTTLES. AS THE BOTTLES MOVE FORWARD,
CAPS LAND ON THE RIMS. AND SPINNING RUBBER MECHANISMS
SCREW THE CAPS ON TIGHTLY. DOWN THE LINE,
LABELS WITH PRODUCT INFORMATION ARE PLACED ONTO EACH BOTTLE. DEPENDING ON THE FORMULATION,
IT CAN TAKE UP TO THREE WEEKS TO PRODUCE GUMMY VITAMIN PILLS. AND THE RESULT? NUTRITIOUS GUMDROPS
THAT ARE A REAL TREAT.
