Chocolate Crumb Segmentation for Handling and Flavor Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The chocolate crumb production process faces challenges in achieving consistent quality and taste due to the Maillard reaction, which can result in unwanted flavor profiles if conditions promoting this reaction are overexposed, such as prolonged heat and moisture, leading to issues with fat expression and texture, and equipment fouling.
Innovation Solution
A process involving mixing milk and sugar, evaporating liquid, adding cocoa mass/liquor, subjecting the mixture to sugar crystallization, drying, and compressing the chocolate crumb into uniformly shaped pieces using a pressure range of 0.5 to 5 MPa to improve storage and transportation characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If chocolate crumb is stored as a single mass, then storage space is utilized, but the crumb compresses and becomes difficult to handle and transport
Solution Approach 1:
The chocolate crumb is formed into a plurality of substantially uniformly shaped pieces rather than storing as a single mass. This segmentation prevents compression and maintains handling ease during storage and transportation, directly resolving the technical contradiction between storage efficiency and operational ease.
2Reliability
If prolonged heat and moisture conditions are applied to promote Maillard reaction, then caramel flavors are generated, but unwanted flavor profiles develop
Solution Approach 1:
The Maillard reaction is promoted during the drying stage before final crumb formation, rather than during prolonged storage. This preliminary action generates the desired caramel flavors early in the process while avoiding the development of unwanted flavors that would occur with prolonged exposure to heat and moisture conditions.
3Manufacturing precision
If sugar crystallisation conditions are not precisely controlled, then phase change occurs incorrectly, but this leads to inappropriate fat expression and powdery texture
Solution Approach 1:
The process employs specific parameter ranges for sugar crystallisation including temperature of 20-35°C and pressure of 0.5-5 MPa during compression. These controlled parameter changes ensure correct phase change from doughy paste to uniform crumb pieces, preventing fat expression issues and powdery texture while maintaining manufacturability.
4Productivity
If chocolate crumb is not formed into uniform pieces, then processing is simpler, but storage and transportation become inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The crumb is formed into uniformly shaped pieces through controlled compression at 0.5-5 MPa, creating discrete units that stack and store efficiently. This segmentation approach improves productivity for storage and transportation while the forming process remains relatively simple, requiring only compression equipment within the specified pressure range.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The process forms chocolate crumb into manageable, uniformly shaped pieces that prevent compression into a single mass, ensuring easier handling, storage, and transportation while maintaining desired flavor and texture profiles.
Implementation Method 1
the mass of the material is converted from a 'doughy' paste to a powder by sucrose or sugar crystallisation
Implementation Method 2
evaporating liquid from the mixture
Implementation Method 3
compressing the chocolate crumb into a plurality of substantially uniformly shaped pieces, wherein the chocolate crumb is compressed using a pressure in the range of 0.5 to 5 MPa
Data Source
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AI summary
A process for chocolate crumb manufacture and chocolate crumb and confectionery products made using the process. The process comprises: a) providing a milk and sugar mixture or mixing together, milk and sugar so as to form a mixture; b) evaporating liquid from the mixture; c) adding and mixing cocoa mass/liquor to the mixture during and/or after steps (a) and/or (b); d) subjecting the mixture to conditions effective to bring about sugar crystallisation; e) drying the mixture so as to form chocolate crumb; and f) forming the chocolate crumb into a plurality of substantially uniformly shaped pieces. The crumb mixture is formed into a plurality of substantially uniformly shaped pieces. In one embodiment the pieces are formed by passing the chocolate crumb through one or more rollers which have one or more depressions adapted to shape the crumb into the pieces.