JPS608098B2 - Method and equipment for continuous production of milk chocolate - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention continuously produces milk chocolate.
The present invention relates to a method in which milled ground cocoa nibs are finely ground and milled, milled, homogenized and refined with the addition of sugar, lecithin, cocoa butter and milk powder, and an apparatus for carrying out this method.

In order to give milk chocolate a high degree of taste quality and purity, great mechanical costs and time consumption are required, including the fine grinding of melted crushed cocoa nibs, cocoa butter, lecithin, sugar and milk powder. Several processing steps are necessary, such as contamination, micro-polishing, homogenization of all components and removal of noxious air, in which case it is unavoidable that the material is processed in batches within certain processing steps; This is of course contrary to the desired continuous material processing.

Efforts have already been made to advantageously configure the processing sequence and the tumbling process time in long conches.
The same quality of the finished product is maintained by a quasi-semi-continuous process that takes advantage of the advantageous effect of a continuous thin layer treatment (German Patent Publication 1557184) to eliminate harmful flavorings and arousal substances immediately after the fine grinding of the crushed cocoa nibs. The tumbling process time within the conche varies from approximately 2 to 8 to 1
However, in that case, the crushed cocoa nibs must pass through the following machines or equipment according to the process order: pre-pulverizer, fine-pulverizer, thin-layer scouring equipment, continuous mixing machine, polishing machine, etc. They are a bookkeeping machine and a conche. The water that is inevitably introduced by the milk powder that is added before or after the processing machine, which is only allowed to be present in a certain percentage in the final product, is once again allowed. The tumbling process in the conch must be carried out batchwise in order to eliminate the undesirable flavors introduced by the milk powder.

The total power costs as well as the machine costs are considerably high, especially in the case of a subcontinuous, but semi-continuous process, due to the conche use required. On the one hand, it has already been known for a long time that the required tumbling time in conches can be reduced by increasing the specific power; on the other hand, the substantial increase in the specific power (KW/〆) is due to structural reasons. I had to know that it was impossible. cacao,
The possible method of first liquefying the intermediate material consisting of sugar, milk powder and cocoa butter by means of suitable equipment and subsequently subjecting it to a thin layer scouring treatment also does not give the desired effect. Extensive research has shown that although such treatments are possible, the results are marginal and therefore do not represent an economical solution. The sensory properties of chocolate can be significantly changed to a positive meaning by thin-layer treatment, while thin-layer and short-time treatments can achieve the desired dehydration and viscosity improvement under economic conditions and without damaging the quality of the material. I was able to prove that I couldn't let it fall. The large absorption capacity of the sugar already contained in the material is responsible for this. The present invention requires less power and machinery outlays with at least the same quality results and the same charging forces as compared to the modern manufacturing methods common today, and allows the process to be carried out continuously, although with batch mixing. This is based on the task of creating a process which can be carried out to a large extent and in which the homogenization process is already extensively alleviated by the elimination of the necessary excess water and harmful fragrances.

The object is based on a method of the type mentioned at the outset according to the invention, in which finely ground, crushed cocoa nibs are subjected to continuous alternating batch mixing or batch manipulation, and during this alternating batch processing, cocoa butter and milk powder are added; In that case, during the mixing or working of one batch, the other batches which have been mixed or consolidated are continuously discharged and the material already containing milk powder is continuously fed into the laminar scouring machine. It is subjected to a thin layer scouring process for dehumidification and dust removal in a thin layer scouring machine, where the cocoa butter, lecithin and sugar are subsequently added to the material and subjected to continuous alternating batch homogenization, resulting in homogenization of one batch. During the oxidation time, the finished products of other batches are settled by being drawn out continuously. That is, in this case, the material extracted from the milk powder, which has moisture and harmful flavorings, is added to the cocoa mass which has not yet been dedusted and has been mixed with sugar and is commonly subjected to a thin layer scouring process together with this cocoa mass. It is important that, on the one hand, it already contains milk powder and, on the other hand, that it has already been extensively removed from excess water and harmful flavorings, so that in the subsequent processing steps, even these components to be excluded are It means that it is no longer under load. Relatively long tampling or scouring times in conches, which would hinder fully continuous processing, are no longer necessary.

Although the mechanical costs required for this process according to the invention, i.e. the two alternating mixers or high-power scouring machines described in further detail, seem relatively large at first glance, mixers, like conches, are cost-effective. or not large in terms of power consumption; on the other hand, in the case of the known and above-mentioned semi-competitive methods, one conch is not enough when the continuously working parts of the entire corresponding installation are operated continuously. It is. After the last scouring stage, the material is preferably passed through a static mixer (DE 21 30 134). The equipment for carrying out the process includes a pre-grinding mill, a fine grinding mill, two alternating mixers, a thin layer scouring device (West German Patent Publication No. 1537184), a continuous scouring machine, a sugar grinding machine, a polishing machine. , ball mills etc. and possibly static mixers (DE 2130134).

According to the invention, this arrangement of devices and machines, which is known up to the mixer, is such that the thin-layer scouring machine has mixers which can be charged and discharged in succession alternately and which work accordingly. The formed mixer is arranged to be rearranged with a continuous reducer and at least a fine grinder, such as an attritor, a ball mill, etc., interposed therebetween.

The mixer is in particular a two-piece mixer comprising a mixing element and a manipulating element.
A mixing tank is designed in switchable connection with the charging line and the discharge line, the mixing tank being arranged above the load indicating element.

Instead of a continuous ricer, it is also possible to use a corresponding mixer, which has the advantage that only one mixer type is used in the device. Depending on the taste and quality requirements, the sugar can be added before or after the fine grinding machine (lohu, pole mill, etc.), in which case the sugar is of course brought to the final fineness beforehand if it is added later. However, this may have a certain influence on the taste, as fully ground sugar gives rise to other taste nuances. Depending on the origin and variety of cocoa used as the starting product, the cocoa may be highly acidic, which can react with milk proteins in an undesirable manner and result in an unsatisfactory taste of the final product. There is a danger that this could lead to negative consequences.

Even in view of this drawback, the method according to the invention offers advantageous applicability with slightly different adaptation in the guidance of single ingredients, namely cocoa butter and milk powder subjected to batch mixing or batch manipulation. During mixing and consolidation, one batch is fed to the first and second stages of the thin layer smelter, and at the same time the third stage is continuously fed with finely ground and crushed cocoa nibs, in which case lecithin and finely ground cocoa nibs are continuously fed into the third stage. The ground sugar is mixed into the dehydrated and dehydrated intermediate material in a laminar scouring machine and is mixed with the intermediate material and subsequently ground to a fine grain to form parentheses. The intermediate material is subjected to batch mixing or batch loss with the addition of cocoa butter together with the cocoa mass, in which case during the mixing of one batch the finished mixed batch of the other batch is continuously discharged and fed to the next processing. be done. Depending on whether one starts from crushed cocoa nibs that have already been ground to the final fineness or from crushed cocoa nibs that have not yet been ground to the final fineness, in the latter case the method may After passing through the three stages, sugar and lecithin are mixed together with the material consisting of cocoa butter and milk powder, which is continuously discharged from the second stage of the thin layer scouring machine, and are continuously smelted and subsequently finely divided. In the former case, the cocoa mass ground to the final fineness is processed into cocoa butter after passing through the third stage of the thin layer scouring machine.
The process is such that the blended and finely ground ingredients consisting of milk powder, sugar and lecithin are continuously fed and subsequently subjected to batch mixing or batch manipulation with parenteral ingredients.

The method of the present invention will be explained below by way of an embodiment represented in the drawings.
The apparatus for its implementation and the advantages achievable by the method are detailed.

According to FIG. 1, the melted and pre-crushed cocoa nibs are ground in a pre-mill 1 and a fine grinder 2.

From the fine grinder 2 the material passes into the mixing tank 9 of the mixer 3, with the material simultaneously being drawn off from each other mixing tank 9 continuously during the processing of the material in the other mixing tank. Cocoa butter and milk powder are added to the finely ground cocoa by means of dosing elements (not shown). The mixed material consisting of cocoa, cocoa butter and milk powder is sent into a thin layer scouring device 4 consisting of three thin layer scouring machines, where it removes excess water and harmful flavors contained in the cocoa and milk powder. But already the following processing is unnecessary and extensively eliminated. During the continuous discharge from the mixing tank, mixing is already taking place in other mixing tanks. The subsequent addition of cocoa butter and lecithin and their mixing with the cocoa takes place in a continuously working attenuator 5, into which it is also possible to add the ground sugar by means of a sugar grinder 6. can.

Instead of the mixer 5, a suitable mixer according to FIG. 4 can also be used. However, the sugar, which has already been made to the final fineness as required, bypasses the roll bonding machine 7 (to equipment D).
It can also be placed in mixer 3' as suggested by the dotted line.

Thus, in this variant, where the sugar has already been ground to the final fineness, the mixer 5 can be omitted. The material coming from the mixing machine 5 passes through a roll grinding machine 7 to a mixer 3' which also operates alternately, from which the finished product is continuously discharged during the processing time in another mixing tank 9. be exposed. The quantities passed through the individual devices and machines are shown by example flowcharts for comparison. A static mixer 8 is also mounted behind the mixer 3'.
In order to clarify the progress that can be achieved by this method, the second
, Figure 3 shows the conventional method and the semi-continuous method (both known).
is represented. The comparison will look like this:

As an example, the following prescription is assumed.

12% Cocoa mass 18% Cocoa butter 50% Sugar 20% Whole milk powder 100% Four types of raw chocolate manufacturing methods are compared, namely: Conventional method [B) Semi-continuous method [C) New method ■ In crusher 6 A new method of grinding sugar to its final fineness.

Equipment working according to the new method [C} / h = 48
Configured for /day bag storage.

Equipment ■, (B} and [q have the same daily production volume. Compared with equipment ■, the machine is saved (1) and is redundant (10).
The relationship required for this is device 'B} (1) 8 conches...total filling amount of each conche (10 circles)
1 Thin layer scouring machine 4...Each machine 1000k9/h device [q (1)
3 roll scouring machines...500k9/h (10) each machine 1 thin layer scouring machine 4...1000k9/h (1) each machine 50% manipulation vessel (from T/H to A/H) (10) 2 mixer 3, 3'・
...Each machine has /h(-)16 conche...Each conche X
Filling amount (10) 1 Static mixer 8...Each mixer public/h
(10) 1 Medium pressure mass pump 16...Each pump common h Equipment Dish (1) 6 rolls Mano...Tani machine 500k9/h (10) 1
Thin layer scouring machine 16...Each machine public h(1)1 mixer...
Each machine t/h (10) 2 mixers 3, 3'...Each mixer/h (1) 1 Contier (10) 1 stationary mixer 8...Each mixer public/h (10)
1 medium pressure mass pump 16... each pump a/h The following relationship arises regarding investment costs: A: B: C: D = 3.4: 2.7: 1.6: 1 That is, for example, the device ■ is the device { It requires 3.4 times the investment cost compared to D), but in this case the space cost, which decreases in the order of wind, 'B}, [CI, 'D', is not taken into account.

The power cost will be as follows. A:B:C:D=2.5:2
:1.7:1 That is, for example, the required power of the device arc is device D
} is 2.5 times higher than

The two mixers 3 or 3' are constructed as follows according to FIG.

Preferentially, the mixing vessels 9 each have a pair of interengaging mixing screw conveyors 10 against which the material is rotated and compressed by a foot slender.

The two mixing vessels 9, which are alternately filled from the switchable conduit 11, are mounted in a pedestal 15 on a pressure gauge 13, which allows the metering of the total composition when the respective full filling is reached in the mixing vessel. will be stopped automatically. While intensive mixing is taking place in one mixing tank 9, the other mixing tanks 9 are continuously drained, thereby ensuring a continuous full flow. The basic premise for this, however, is the unburdening of the material from excess moisture and harmful fragrances, which can be achieved with this method, especially in the final scouring phase, which allows relatively short residence times. EXAMPLE For the production of chocolate in apparatus C according to FIG. 1, the crushed cocoa nibs are crushed on an impact-trout crusher of known construction and reach a fine crusher (ball mill) at a flow rate of 240 k9/h.

The fine grinder is maintained at a temperature of approximately 80°C. The material drawn fluidly from the fine grinder is 120k9/h
is fed into one mixing tank 9, while a mixed material of milk powder, cocoa butter and cocoa is already continuously withdrawn from the other mixing tank 9 (in which case the start-up process during start-up has already been carried out). ). Mixing tank 9
Liquid cocoa butter (100%
k9/h) at a temperature of about 40℃, and powdered milk at a temperature of about 20:00.
has a temperature of Each mixing tank is then maintained at approximately 50 q0 by known regulating measures. The residence time in the mixing vessel or the discharge time of other mixing vessels is each approximately 1/min hour.

The processing elements 10, 14 in the mixing tank have a rotational speed of approximately 1 skin/second. The material withdrawn from the mixing tank 9 of the mixer 3 in alternating succession passes continuously through the three columns or stages of the laminar scouring machine 4, the removal and separation elements of which are approximately It is driven at a rotational speed of 13 m/s. In these three stages, the temperature is approximately 90 qo, with automatic temperature adjustment being effected by slightly heated air passing through a heating element previously regulated by a thermostat.
The column is equipped with a water-fed double jacket, which is used only for preheating, since the heat is then supplied or generated entirely by material abrasion and air. 840 from this part of the device
The material flowing out by
From the mill 6, the pre-milled sugar having a milliliter of about 30 milligrams of
This Tanukiwa machine 5 so that material with a temperature of 0.00 flows out
is cooled. Thereafter, at 1904 k9/h, the material flowing out of the rice miller 5 is distributed to four chocolate grinders of known construction, and as it passes through the grinder, the material is approx.
Cooled to 5q0. From the abrasion machine the material is fed continuously and alternately into the mixing vessels 9 of the mixer 3', but these mixing vessels are alternately fed 4 times at a rate of 48k9/h each.
Continuously charged with 0 qo cocoa butter and lecithin. A temperature of about 65 oo is maintained in the mixing tank by means of the heat supply by the water-feedable double jacket of the mixing tank and by the frictional heat, and then under the pressure of the pump 16 passes continuously through a static mixer 8 of known construction. processing.
The amount of lecithin added is approximately 0 in total based on the total amount of charging material.
．． It is 4%.

FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart of a slightly different method for highly acidic crushed cocoa nibs.

The same reference numbers are used for individual mechanisms and devices. In this case, for equipment C in FIG. , 18, the crushed cocoa nibs are passed through the laminar smelter and crushed separately in stage 1.
The brewing ingredients released in stage 19 by passing through step 9 cannot have any negative effect on the milk proteins. The flour-cocoa butter mixture and the cocoa mass pass through the heat exchanger 20 and reach the mixer 5 or the like. 6th
The illustrated flowchart shows that in this case the cocoa mass already crushed to the final fineness in the crushers 1 and 2 reaches the mixer 3' immediately without reaching the mixing machine 5, while the mixing machine 5 and the polishing machine 7 The only difference from FIG. 5 is that only cocoa butter, powdered milk, sugar and lecithin are sent through .

The capacity of the mixer and polisher can be correspondingly reduced in this case.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a flowchart of the entire device (devices C and D);
The figure is a flowchart of an apparatus for a known semi-continuous rice bran method (apparatus B), FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an apparatus for another conventional method (apparatus A), and FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the mixer.
FIG. 5 shows a flowchart for a method slightly different from that shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 shows a flowchart for a method slightly different from that shown in FIG. Codes in the figure, KB: cocoa butter, M-P: milk powder, Le
: lecithin, Zu: sugar, k9: kilogram, h: time, Co: conche, A, B, C, D: equipment symbol, Roman numeral: number of machines required for the amount processed, 3, 3'
: mixer, 4: thin layer scouring machine, 5: tempering machine, 7: grinding device (polishing machine, ball mill, etc.), 8: static mixer, 9
: Mixing tank, 11: Charge conduit, 12: Discharge conduit, 17,1
8, 19, 20: stages of thin layer scouring machine. Reciprocal/reverse' 01. 2 〇99 Attached 9. stomach

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. For continuous production of milk chocolate, roasted and crushed cocoa nibs are finely ground and kneaded with the addition of cocoa butter, lecithin, sugar and milk powder, ground, homogenized and In the process of scouring, the finely ground crushed cocoa nibs which are subjected to continuous alternating batch mixing or batch kneading are added with cocoa butter and milk powder during this alternating batch processing, in which case during the processing of one batch The thoroughly mixed or kneaded batches are continuously discharged and the material already containing milk powder is subsequently subjected to a thin layer scouring for dehumidification and dust removal, in which case it is followed by cocoa butter, lecithin. and a method characterized in that sugar is added to the material and the material is continuously homogenized in alternating batches, and during the homogenization time of one batch the finished product of the other batch is continuously withdrawn. . 2. A method according to claim 1, in which the batchwise homogenized and drawn-out material is subsequently passed through a static mixer (8). 3. A method according to claim 1, in which the sugar is ground to a final fineness and added in the final homogenization phase. 4. The finely ground crushed cocoa nibs that are subjected to continuous alternating batch mixing or batch kneading are supplemented with cocoa butter and milk powder during this alternating batch processing, in which case they are thoroughly mixed during the processing of one batch. or other batches that have been kneaded are continuously discharged and the material already containing milk powder is subsequently subjected to a thin layer scouring for dehumidification and dust removal, in which case cocoa butter, lecithin and sugar are subsequently added to the material. The added materials were arranged in process order to carry out the method in which the materials were continuously subjected to alternating batch homogenization, and during the homogenization time of one batch the finished product of the other batch was continuously withdrawn. preliminary crusher and fine crusher,
In an apparatus consisting of a thin layer scouring machine, a mixing device and a kneading device, a fine grinder and a sugar grinder in parallel, the thin layer scouring device 4 includes a mixer that can be alternately and continuously charged and discharged. A mixer 3' is provided with a kneading device 5, a grinder,
Said device, characterized in that it is downstream of a grinding device 7, such as a ball mill or the like. 5. In the device according to claim 4, the mixer 3, 3' comprises two or more mixing or kneading elements 10.
The mixing tank is formed by a charging conduit 1.
1 and a discharge conduit 12, in which case the mixing tank is mounted on a load indicating element, such as a pressure gauge 13. 6. Apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, in which instead of the continuous kneader 5 a mixer 3 or 3' is arranged in the apparatus. 7 Finely ground and kneaded with the addition of cocoa butter, lecithin, sugar and milk powder, milled, homogenized and refined. In a process for continuously producing milk chocolate from roasted and ground cocoa nibs in strong acidity, cocoa butter and milk powder are subjected to batch mixing and batch kneading, and one batch is combined with the first stage of the thin layer scouring machine 4. 2nd stage 17,1
8, and the thin layer scouring machine is continuously fed with crushed cocoa nibs that have been finely ground in the third stage 19, in which case the lecithin and the finely ground sugar are fed to the thin layer scouring machine 4.
It is then kneaded together with the intermediate material being discharged from the batch, and is subsequently finely ground and subjected to alternating batch mixing or batch kneading, in which case during the mixing of one batch, the other batches are mixed as finished. A method characterized in that it is continuously discharged and fed to the next processing. 8 In the method according to claim 7, the cocoa mass, after passing through the third stage 19 of the thin layer scouring machine 4, simultaneously contains sugar and lecithin.
A method in which the material consisting of cocoa butter and milk powder, which is continuously discharged from the second stage 18 of the laminar scouring machine 4, is mixed and continuously kneaded and subsequently finely ground. 9 In the method according to claim 7, the cocoa mass ground to the final fineness is kneaded with cocoa butter, milk powder, sugar and lecithin after passing through the third stage 19 of the thin layer scouring machine 4. A method in which a finely ground material is fed and subsequently subjected to batch mixing or batch kneading with this material.