ivld
Neophyte
Posts: 9
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Post by ivld on Jan 7, 2021 12:53:50 GMT -5
Hello, We are a company specialized in a production of other food stuff, but we’d like to start a small scale chocolate production. We will use cocoa paste and butter, not bean to bar.
So I read a lot about the process and ordered premier melanger for testing, we also have ICB technology tempering machine for tests.
But for larger scale production I can not get the right steps of the process.
For the start we’d need to produce about 70kg per day.
If we buy 70kg melanger how much the capacity of the tempering machine should be? Can I prepare 70kg in the melanger and temper them in a smaller capacity machine in 2-3 batches? When I take the chocolate out of the melanger should I put it directly in the tempering machine, or I should wait it to cool first.
And what brand of melanger would you recommend for this volume?
Thanks
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Post by Ben on Jan 8, 2021 8:49:52 GMT -5
Hello,
You can definitely temper in smaller batches than the grinder. No need to cool first, although many makers find benefit in aging their chocolate for a few weeks or more before tempering it.
As melangers are just stone wheels on a stone base, the chocolate can't tell the difference, so brand doesn't matter too much as to the quality of the chocolate. Any of the main brands should work fine. People have been using Cocoatowns for years, I used Santhas before I swtiched to a universal, and DCM is highly regarded for build quality and customer support.
I think the main issues is that (assuming that you will be adding sugar), it may not refine quickly enough to do a full 70kg batch every day. Also, keep in mind that once the chocolate goes over the axles of the stones, the efficiency drops considerably. In my experience, while these grinders can technically do the amount of chocolate claimed, the optimal volume is considerably less.
All that is to say that if you want to be producing 70kg a day, you'll probably want to get a larger grinder or multiple grinders to allow for smaller, shorter-run batches, or larger, longer-run batches. You may also want to look at other refining processes that are more efficient than a stone grinder.
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ivld
Neophyte
Posts: 9
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Post by ivld on Jan 8, 2021 13:18:35 GMT -5
Thank you for the answer Ben.
We will be using alternative sweeteners as erythritol, stevia and inulin.
By other refining processes do you mean ball mil?
Meanwhile the melanger just came today and tomorrow we will experiment with white chocolate, as it's easier. In the leaflet of the refiner I saw a recipe for raw gianduia, chocolate hazelnut spread. But we'd like to modify it a bit? Would it be a problem to use some vegetable oil in the melanger?
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Post by Ben on Jan 8, 2021 15:44:59 GMT -5
If the sweeteners are crystallized, you may run into the same issue with refining time. A ball mill is another option, as are universals and roll mills. There's no problem adding vegetable oil to the grinder. Gianduja with vegetable oil, however....
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ivld
Neophyte
Posts: 9
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Post by ivld on Jan 9, 2021 4:23:10 GMT -5
Yes, the sweeteners we use tend to recrystallise, so we have to experiment with the refining time.
The recipe was for Gianduja, but we would like to make something more like chocolate spread, so I was wondering if we can use vegetable oil in the refiner.
Thanks!
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ivld
Neophyte
Posts: 9
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Post by ivld on Jan 29, 2021 10:33:38 GMT -5
Would you recommend a particular brand of ball mill? We asked for quotes from Caotech, Macintyre.. but there are many other cheaper options on the market.
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Post by Ben on Jan 29, 2021 10:42:13 GMT -5
I don't have any experience with a ball mill, but have heard great things about Packint's mills. packint.com/
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ivld
Neophyte
Posts: 9
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Post by ivld on Jan 29, 2021 10:51:27 GMT -5
Thanks, I'd ask for a quote from them too. I was not familiar with the prices of the ball mills and compared with the stone ones they are a bit shocking.
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