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Post by wrks4choc on Mar 14, 2006 13:20:17 GMT -5
Hello all! I am starting a major chocolate production line and although I've been working with chocolate for over 20yrs, it's always been in a small hand made production environment. I need to know precisely the room temperature and humidity levels that I should adhere to for a consistent product. I believe it to be no more than 70 degrees with no more than 30% humidity as optimum, is this about right? My boss has a hvac guy coming in this week and I have to have precise numbers for him. I'm used to tempering on the small scale and adjusting as needed but on this scale where there is little room for error I need to be more precise. Any help?
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Post by Sebastian on Mar 14, 2006 14:53:06 GMT -5
the answer is there's no 'right' answer. rh levels and condensation points will change with temperatures. if you're at 70F at 30%rh, you're in pretty good shape overall. as you've been doing this for some time, you are certainly aware of the fact that there are many more things that need to be taken into consideration for consistency - such as the zoning of your tunnel and it's speed, and the thermalgrams created during tempering (tempering isn't an on or off, there are many various stages and factors). if you're tempering on a large scale, there are automatic tempering machines that are self adjusting and provide very consistent results. if, by large scale, you mean 100 lbs at a time, the auto tempering machines aren't going to be for you, but you can use something like a smith or savage kettle that is water jacketed.
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Post by wrks4choc on Mar 15, 2006 11:25:02 GMT -5
Thank you so much for the quick response! Well, the area that I'm setting up isn't overly huge (approx 400-500 sq ft or so) so, this is what I have to work with and I'm hoping that since the area isn't overly huge it will work to my advantage in the choc. production. (there is a second room next door that I might take over in the future that will be left to storing the finished chocolates for now.)Right now my big concern is their hvac system and it not being able to keep consistant temp., that being mixed with the addition of the machines, etc. adding to the temperatures, I'm a bit nervous for the stability. I've never done a large mass production like this, I've only worked with my gourmet chocolates on a small scale so working with this equipment is new to me. Thanks for your help!!
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Post by wrks4choc on Mar 15, 2006 11:29:02 GMT -5
P.S. I'm not using a cooling tunnel just yet, I'm starting off with using the walk-in cooler for my molded products and will work up to the cooling tunnel in a year or two. I will only be using the 2 80lb tempering machines and a 200lb water jacketed machine from Hilliards that I have coming.
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Post by Sebastian on Mar 15, 2006 11:57:03 GMT -5
Make sure your heat exhaust for your walk in (the cooler will generate heat, remember..) is directed OUT of the cooler, and completely away from your finished product storage. I know it sounds simple, but you wouldn't believe the number of places that have called me to help where that has been the problem...
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Post by nassimsmith on Dec 19, 2007 20:36:41 GMT -5
I'm sorry, I didn't know where else to post this, or how to start my own thread, so I thought it best to write my question here. I have been making chocolate at home for a while now. I am more concerned about the health benefits and simplicity in the chocolates that I make. I have been researching the link between lead and cacao products (beans, nibs, butter...). Me and a few people I know, through courses we have taken, have found that due to the lack of environment control in many third world countries producers of cocoa, there seems to be a strong amount of lead in the air, and cocoa absorbs a lot of it. I have been trying to find which countries producers of cocoa would have low levels of lead in their air, water, soil. If anyone could let me know, I would really appreciate it.
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Post by seneca on Dec 19, 2007 22:48:15 GMT -5
One area you might want to research is leaded gasoline availability/usage by country...this can certainly be a factor in airborne lead, and I believe it had something to do with the lead contamination in some Ecuadoran crops last year. Cacao is certainly susceptible to such contaminations, especially during drying.
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Post by johnr on Apr 28, 2008 16:37:59 GMT -5
I used to design food processing plants, where the room was generally kept at 40 deg. F to for inhibiting bacterial growth, and the equipment itself kept the production line at the temperature it needed to be. I'm not an expert on any of that, and chocolate production might or might not have the same sanitation requirements, but it should be checked with the appropriate government body (USDA for example).
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Post by Sebastian on Aug 29, 2008 5:24:33 GMT -5
it's not so much lead that's in the air, but rather on the roads and road sides. many origin countries are in the practice of putting the beans on the road or roadside to dry them in the sun - of course it rains there to and the lead deposited onthe streets runs off in the rainwater, which then evaporates redepositing the lead. it's from leaded gasoline mostly, although there are some heavy metals indiginous to some soilds. almost all of it's deposited on the outer shell of the bean, so proper cleaning is important (ie don't put shell in your product).
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Post by nawteeschocolates on Oct 24, 2008 1:56:05 GMT -5
Sebastian, can't someone grow their own trees if they wanted to? I guess they would be "hot-house" cacao trees, cause you would have to create a special environment for them, but, you would/could have a great end product. ?
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Post by nawteeschocolates on Oct 24, 2008 13:03:24 GMT -5
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Post by heavensgate on Dec 11, 2008 7:00:57 GMT -5
Hello all! I am starting a major chocolate production line and although I've been working with chocolate for over 20yrs, it's always been in a small hand made production environment. I need to know precisely the room temperature and humidity levels that I should adhere to for a consistent product. I believe it to be no more than 70 degrees with no more than 30% humidity as optimum, is this about right? My boss has a hvac guy coming in this week and I have to have precise numbers for him. I'm used to tempering on the small scale and adjusting as needed but on this scale where there is little room for error I need to be more precise. Any help? well, as far as i know, Chocolate is very sensitive to temperature and humidity. Ideal storage temperatures are between 15 and 17 °C (59 to 63 °F), with a relative humidity of less than 50%. Chocolate is generally stored away from other foods as it can absorb different aromas. Ideally, chocolates are packed or wrapped, and placed in proper storage with the correct humidity and temperature. Additionally chocolate is frequently stored in a dark place or protected from light by wrapping paper. Various types of "blooming" effects can occur if chocolate is stored or served improperly. If refrigerated or frozen without containment, chocolate can absorb enough moisture to cause a whitish discoloration, the result of fat or sugar crystals rising to the surface. Moving chocolate from one temperature extreme to another, such as from a refrigerator on a hot day can result in an oily texture. Although visually unappealing, chocolate suffering from bloom is perfectly safe for consumption. Chocolate Shop Online | Date Filipina Online
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Post by rabarber on Dec 11, 2008 12:04:29 GMT -5
If refrigerated or frozen without containment, chocolate can absorb enough moisture to cause a whitish discoloration, the result of fat or sugar crystals rising to the surface. Moving chocolate from one temperature extreme to another, such as from a refrigerator on a hot day can result in an oily texture. Although visually unappealing, chocolate suffering from bloom is perfectly safe for consumption. I can not agree with this. Indeed if we are discussing fat bloom, go ahead, eat the chocolate. It probably will not taste as it should but it's safe. But when we are talking about sugar bloom, please throw away your chocolate. Chocolate suffering from sugar bloom is an ideal medium for micro bacterial growth. Who want's to risk that?
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