The history of CRYSTALYX® low-moisture blocks goes back more than 44 years, to a patent originally obtained by Carl O. McKenzie. Legend has it that he got the idea while observing how hard candy was made at Knott’s Berry Farm. The patent was submitted in 1974 and was approved on June 1, 1976. This patent describes the batch process by which we still make CRYSTALYX today. The most notable feature of this batch process is the ability to use a vacuum step in the manufacture of the blocks. The utilization of a vacuum chamber allows us to remove essentially all moisture from the molasses products used in the manufacture of CRYSTALYX. Molasses is a byproduct of the sugar industry and has a variable moisture content. Removing all of that moisture, regardless of its level when it arrives at the plant, is the cornerstone in making quality low-moisture blocks with unparalleled intake control.
