Cocoa Processing

1. Cocoa Processing A Single Vessel for: Alkalization Or Dutching, Able to process Red or Dark Cocoa. Normal cycle to produce 65 Kgs. Of red cocoa in our 130 Lts. Pilot reactor is 30 Minutes. Dark Cocoa takes one hour. Sterilization Of Cocoa Press Cake: Product is moistened inside our DVT units and sterilized with direct steam, with final vacuum drying. Of Cocoa Powder: Cocoa Powder is sterilized by direct application of steam and further drying under vacuum. To dry Cocoa Powder from 20% to 5% moisture: Cycle Time in a pilot 130 Lts. Vessel is 45 Minutes. If the drying time is carried in conjunction with the alkalinization or ste- rilization process, cycle time is reduced significantly. Drying Instantanizing Lecithine dispersion is accomplished in a few minutes, due to high-shear choppers operation and “fluidized-bed” system, which allows full lecithine coating to each dry particle. Lecithine utilization is minimized, keeping Req. solubility & improving taste Final Mixing of all the chocolate formula are done in few minutes. Choppers operation disintegrates any possible lump, guaranteeing a final dry, free flowing powder. Mixing

2. Cream Centers With the introduction of dry, free flowing fondant, a major change in production techniques for butter cream centers has been developed. The utilization of a Littleford mixer to compound these dry fondants with other ingredients to form the cream center has resulted in drastic reductions in process time & opera- ting costs, while improving the con- sistency of product. A typical pro- cedure would be to first add the fon- dant, either dry or cooked, to the mixer. The fondant would then be creamed by the addition of butter in approximately 30 seconds by the ac- tion of the mixing plows. Flavorings are then addes and the mixing conti- nued for another 30 seconds. At this point, fillers such as chopped wal- nuts are added and bleded into the base in about 15 to 25 seconds. Some formulations require a consis- tency adjustment by the addition of dry fondant prior to discharge to the extruder. The entire mix cycle takes less than 5 minutes per batch, depen- ding on ingredients and quantities. Chocolate Paste Mixing A critical operation in the manufacture of chocolate is the preparation of the paste prior to refining & final conching. The efficiency of the refining operation depends on the consistency & unifor- mity of the paste. Leading chocolate manufacturers have installed our units to improve this important process. Cocoa butter, dry milk solids and fine sugar are rapidly blended into the cho- colate liquor to form a uniform paste ideal for refining. Increases in refining throughput as high as 30% have been reported. High speed blending chop- pers enhance this operation by reduc- ing the mix cycles to approximately three minutes and completely eliminate agglomerates of dry milk solids. Batch and continuous mixers have been supplied for chocolate paste mixing. Due to the short mix time required, the unit manufacturing costs have been reduced while attaining an improve- ment in product quality. Chocolate Paste Mixing & Cream Centers

3. Chocolate Flavored Compound Coatings A highly successful alternative to traditional mixer-refiner process system has enabled bakeries to attain substantial savings by preparing their own coatings. An air classifying mill reduces the particle size of the sugar, cocoa & milk solids to the desired range, and a Littleford mixer suspends these materials in vegetable oils. In a typical installation, the vegetable oil is added first to a jacketed Littleford batch mixer equipped with blending choppers. The discharge from the mill is then added continuously to the mixer. The action of the plows, which constantly move the viscous material into the high-speed choppers, creates a uniform suspension almost inmedia- tely. The compound is finished in an approximately ten-minute cycle follo- wing the addition of dry solids. The finished compound is then pum- ped directly to storage or high-speed enrobing machines. Chocolate Cold Milk Additive Uniform dispersion of a viscous soya-lecithin liquid into cocoa powder has been found necessary to achieve the desired instant solu- bility of a powdered drink mix in cold milk. This incorporation may be accomplished in a Littleford mixer by using a special technique developed by Littleford for adding the soya-lecithin liquid and thorou- ghly dispersing it into cocoa. Sugar, flavoring and other ingre- dients may then be added to com- plete the mix. Tabletted Candies Absolute uniformity of mix is required for the successful direct compression of breath mints & similar candies. High speed choppers uniformly disperse the flavors & colors through the sugar in minutes. Lumps that may have formed during storage of the raw materials & agglomerates of color are quickly broken up by the chopper action during the mix cycles. Appearance and strength are improved. Chocolate Cold Milk Additives & Flavored Compound Coatings Tabletted Candies