GCC STANDARDIZATION ORGANIZATION (GSO) 
Final Draft Standard 
GSO O5/FDS 263 12008 
(TUI) 
Hard candy 
Prepared By 
GSO Technical Committee 05 for standards of food and agriculture products 
This document is a draft GSO Standard circulated for comments. It is, therefore, 
subject to alteration and modification and may not be referred to as a GSO 
Standard until approved by GSO Board Of Directors. Foreword 
GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) is a regional Organization which consists of the 
National Standards Bodies of GCC member States. One of GSO main functions is to issue 
Gulf Standards /Technical regulations through specialized technical committees (TCs). 
GSO through the technical program of committee TC No. 5 "Gulf technical committee for 
standards of food and agriculture products" has updated the GSO Standard No. 26311994 
"Hard candy". The Draft Standard has been prepared by Sultanate of Oman. 
=s standard has been approved as a Gulf Technical Regulation by GSO Board of Directors 
in its meeting No. ( ), held on 1 I H, I I G. The approved standard 
will replace and supersede the GSO standard No. 133812002. GSO STANDARD 
HARD CANDY GSO 26312008 
SCOPE AND FIELD OF APPLICATION 
This standard is concerned with hard candy. It does not include candy specified for 
diabetics. 
COMPLEMENTARY REFERENCES 
GSO 9 Labelling of Prepackaged Foods. 
GSO 21 Hygienic Regulations for Food Plants and Their Personnel. 
GW 168 General Requirements of Storage Facilities for Dry and Canned 
Foodstuffs. 
GSO 262 Methods of Test for Hard Candy. 
GSO 398 Food Packages - Part 1 : General Requirements. 
GSO 101 6 Microbiological Criteria of Food Product- Part 1. 
GSO for Food Additives (CODEX STAN 192) 
DEFINITIONS 
Candy: Alimentary products prepared essentially from nutritive sweeteners 
(such as sucrose, glucose ... etc) with or without addition of optional 
ingredients (according to the type) which have been properly mixed and 
processed at a suitable temperature and shaped into different forms. 
Hard candy: One of the sugar confectionary types. It is divided into: 
Plain hard candy: A type of candy having a hard texture. 
Modified hard candy: A candy complying with what is mentioned in 3.2. 1. It 
contains an inner filling of hit, or its products, edible vegetable oils or fats, milk 
products, cocoa products, nut products or any other foodstuff mixed with any of 
these constituents. 
CLASSIFICATION 
Hard candy shall be classified into the following: 
Plain hard candy, which is divided into three varieties: 
Clear candy 
Pulled candy: into which air is incorporated during kneading. 
Grained candy: it is crystal within a certain length of time. 
Modified hard candy, which is divided into six varieties: 
Filled candy: with one or more of the constituents mentioned in 3.2.2. 
Butter scotch candy: to which butter is added. 
Brittle candy: to which edible fats or nuts or both are added. 
Glace candy: filled only with fruit or nuts, and coated with a clear layer of sugar. GSO STANDARD GSO 26311994 
4.2.5 Toffee candy: a pulled hard candy usually containing an edible vegetable oil or fat 
and sometimes milk products. 
4.2.6 Chick-peas, sesame seeds and peanuts: candies complying with what are 
mentioned in 3.2.1 to which roasted chick-peas, sesame seeds, peeled peanuts or 
some other nuts are added in suitable amounts. 
5. REQUIREMENTS 
The following requirements shall be met in hard candy: 
5.1 It shall be free from pork products and its derivatives. 
5.2 It shall be free from alcohol. 
5.3 All materials used in manufacturing shall comply with the relevant GSO standards 
for each material. 
5.4 Production shall be in accordance with GSO standard mentioned in 2.2. 
5.5 it shall be free from rancidity and off-odours. 
5.6 It shall be fke from insects and their fragments. 
5.7 It shall have a suitable colour, proper hardness, uniform shape without being 
melted or attached with itself or with the outer wrap. 
5.8 Production shall be camed out according to good manufacturing practices. 
5.9 Optional ingredients: 
- Nutritive sweeteners are added in accordance with good production 
practices (sucrose, glucose, dextrin, honey, invert sugar, ... etc). 
- Organic acids or their derivatives (cream of tartar - citric acid - tartaric acid 
- malic acid fumaric acid - lactic acid or any suitable acid substance); 
- Flavouring matter; 
- Filling matter (fiuits, plant extract, nuts, . . . .etc); 
- Vitamins; 
- Mixing matter. 
Food additives: 
Only food additives listed in the GSO standard mentioned in item 2.7 are permitted 
to be used, which are related to food categories 05.2 & 05.2.1 within the specified 
limits and those additives listed in Table 3 shall be added according to GMP. 
5.11 Moisture content shall not be more than 4% in plain hard candy and not more 
than 6% in modified hard candy. GSO STANDARD GSO 26311994 
5.12 Roasted chick-peas, sesame seeds and peanuts shall not be less than 40%, 
20% and 40% by total weight of chick-peas, sesame seeds and peanut candies 
respectively. 
5.13 Broken, crushed and defected pieces shall not exceed 5% by weight. 
5.14 Peels and other foreign matter shall not exceed 5% by weight in chick-peas, 
sesame seeds and peanut candies. 
5.15 Contaminating metallic elements content shall not exceed the following limits: 
Arsenic 0.5 ppm 
Lead 1 .O ppm 
Copper 2.5 ppm 
Zinc 2.5 ppm 
5.16 The microbiological criteria of micro-organisms shall not exceed the limits related 
to hard candy in the GSO standard mentioned in 2.6. 
6. SAMPLING 
6.1 Samples shall be taken randomly according to the following Table (1). 
Table (1) 
Number of containers taken as samples 
Total number of Number of containers sampled 
randomly from the batch 
containers in one batch 
of the consignment Containers of more than Containers of less than 
Up to 25 
26to 100 
101 to 300 
301 to 500 
501 andabove 3 
4 
5 
7 
9 6 
6 
9 
12 
15 GSO STANDARD GSO 26311994 
6.2 Draw with an appropriate sampling instrument, from each of the containers 
(6. l), an approximately equal quantity of the product to form a composite sample 
of about 1 kg. 
6.3 Divide this composite sample into approximately three equal parts and transfer 
every part into a clean and dry glass container, scaled air-tight and marked with 
full details of sampling (date of sampling, batch number of production. name of 
the manufacturer and other important particulars of the consignment). 
6.4 Submit one of these samples to test, keep one sample at the place wherein it was 
drawn, and keep the third one as a reference sample. 
7. METHODS OF TEST 
Tests shall be carried out on the representative sample taken according to item 6, 
to determine its compliance with all items of this standard in accordance with the 
GSO standard mentioned in 2.4. 
PACKAGING 
The product shall be packed in clean, hygienic, suitable, sound, moisture - proof, 
and well - scaled containers that have no effect on product properties. 
LABELLING 
Without prejudice to provisions of the GSO standard mentioned in 2.1, the 
following shall be declared on the label of the product: 
Name of the food: hard candy. 
Class of the candy according to item 4. 
Nutritional information (amount of energy, sugar, fat, protein and vitamins and 
minerals if added). 
Any drawing, picture or statement which contradicts with religious and ethics 
aspects and values shall not be declared on the pack or the wrapper. 
TRANSPORTATION AND STORAGE 
It shall be carried out in such a way as to protect the product fiom mechanical 
damage and contamination. 
Storage 
The product shall be stored under suitable conditions in well-ventilated stores in 
accordance with the GSO standard mentioned in 2.3.