Machinery – Small Scale Cocoa Processing

MACHINERY FOR THE COCOA, NUTS AND CHOCOLATE PROCESSING

Cleaning

Foreign matters, such as stones, excessive dust or metal particles, may cause failures and lower the product quality. Therefore, it is important to remove any such impurities early in the process. We offer different solutions ranging from simple sorting tables for capacities of less than 50 kg/h or complete cleaning plants including pre-cleaner, destoner, metal separation and continuous weighing units for higher throughput capacities.

Bean cleaning for small capacities

Separate machinery or complete cleaning plants incl.:

– Cleaning drum to remove bigger impurities
– Destoner to remove stones and heavy impurities
– Magnetic separation for small metal particles

Bean cleaning plants > 300 kg/h

Separate machinery or complete cleaning plants incl.:

– Pre-cleaner to remove bigger impurities and dust
– Destoner or sorting machine to remove stones and heavy impurities
– Magnetic separation drum or metal detection unit for metal particles
– Automatic dosing and feeding with star-lock valves and conveying units

Drying

The moisture content of the input product is one of the key values for many processes. To improve the processing characteristics of the input product, we offer drying units that operate with infrared heating. With a infrared (IR) heat treatment, the product can efficiently be brought to the right processing conditions. In the case of cocoa, the resulting quick temperature increase causes the shells to blow up (“pop-up”-effect), which has a positive impact on the de-hulling stage. Thus, the overall processing efficiency can be increased by applying IR heat treatment. We can offer the suitable IR-dryer for different throughput capacities and for different applications.

Horizontal dryer

Electric infrared dryers for capacities > 50 kg/h:

– Compact dimensions
– Adjustable heating distance
– Continuous drying process
– “Pop-up”-effect
– Automatic process control and product feeding
– Including spark detection and product by-pass
– With suction system including ventilator and cyclone

De-hulling

During the de-hulling step, the beans are being cracked to separate the shell fragments from the bean kernels (nibs). During this process the critical target is to achieve the highest possible nibs purity rate, without loosing nibs particles along with the shells removal. To achieve this, the broken beans, a mixture of nibs and shells, is prefferable divided into fractions to enable a well-adapted separation process for each fraction particle size. All our winnowers with capacities above 50 kg/h operate with multiple sieve layers. Furthermore, they can all be adjusted in all relevant process parameters: feeding speed, breaker speed, breaker distance and suction. By this, all bean types can be processed with the highest possible efficiency with the lowest possible losses.

Throughput 20 to 50 kg/h

A small, compact de-hulling unit based on multiple sieves:

– Compact dimensions
– Adjustable breaker

– Adjustable feeding rate
– Adjustable airflow
– Including suction system
– Shell collection in cyclone

Throughput up to 100 kg/h

A small scale Winnower with sieve-housing:

– Compact dimensions
– Three sieve layers
– Adjustable breaker
– Adjustable feeding rate
– Adjustable airflow
– Including suction system
– Shell collection in cyclone

Throughput up to 200 kg/h

A very precise Winnower with compact dimensions:

– Compact dimensions
– Four sieve layers
– Adjustable breaker
– Adjustable feeding rate
– Adjustable airflow
– Adjustable suction chutes
– Including suction system
– Shell collection in cyclone

Throughput up to 500 kg/h

The smallest big one:

– Industrial scale Winnower
– Four sieve layers
– Adjustable centrifugal breaker
– Unbroken beans return separation
– Adjustable feeding rate
– Adjustable airflow
– Adjustable suction chutes
– Including suction system
– Separate shell collection with screw conveyor discharge

Roasting

The roasting process has an important influence on the product aroma. Furthermore, the intensive heat treatment effects the cell structure of cocoa beans, making it easier to grind. When we talk about roasting we differentiate between whole bean and nibs (kernels) roasting. Within big scale processing, the nibs roasting technology is the most process-efficient way to perform a product de-bacterization. For small artisanal chocolate manufacturers however, the traditional whole bean roasting is preferred. We can offer the right roasting solution for different requirements. Our industrial small-scale nibs roaster is unique with its water injection and adjustable temperature curve, enabling an individual roasting process and a safe product de-bacterizing.

Whole bean roasting

Compact, gas-fired roasters for batch sizes from 5 to 10 kg:

– Easy operation
– Including product cooler
– Including air circulation system and cyclone
– Adjustable temperature and roasting time
– Manual product sample probe

Nibs roasting, up to 500 kg/h

Electric and gas-fired industrial nibs roasters:

– Capacities of 100 kg/h and 500 kg/h
– Fully adjustable roasting process with recipee control
– Water injection for product debacterizing
– Adjustable water injection amount
– Automatic process control from input batch size to discharge into cooler
– Including air-circulation system with ventilator and cyclone

Pre-grinding

During the pre-grinding of oilseeds, the mechanical forces and induced heat cause the oil to escape the cell structure. The result is a more or less liquid product where the solid particles are covered by a film of oil. Depending on the moisture content, as a result of preceding processes, the pre-grinding can be more or less complicated and energy intensive. Thus, another task of the pre-grinding is to achieve the right compromise between energy input and output particle size. Our corundum pre-grinders have the necessary adjustment possibilities to obtain the right output fineness for your product and process.

Pre-grinder up to 50 kg/h

Compact, vertical corundum pre-grinder:

– Compact dimensions
– Adjustable grinding disc distance
– Adjustable feeding rate
– Easy and efficient maintenance characteristics

Pre-grinder up to 250 kg/h

Compact, vertical corundum pre-grinder:

– Compact dimensions
– Adjustable grinding disc distance
– Adjustable feeding rate
– Easy and efficient maintenance characteristics
– Compatible with an automatic process control
– Optional with collecting stirring and product ventilation tank

Pre-grinder up to 600 kg/h

Compact, vertical corundum pre-grinder:

– Adjustable grinding disc distance
– Adjustable feeding rate
– Jacketed grinding housing for pre-heating and cooling
– Easy and efficient maintenance characteristics
– Compatible with an automatic process control
– Optional with collecting stirring and product ventilation tank

Refining

Depending on the overall processing capacity and mode of automation, the fine-grinding stage can be set up as a batch re-circulation process or as a continuous in-line process. With help from extensive refining data and a flexible ball mill design, we are able to offer customized fine-grinding solutions with an industrial quality at standard prices. Thereby the grinding chambers are fabricated in stainless steel and with a water jacket to enable pre-heating and cooling by water. The mills are all delivered complete with grinding steel balls in wear resistant special steel.

Small batch ball mill refiner

Compact, vertical ball mill:

– Compact dimensions
– Jacketed grinding chamber for pre-heating and cooling
– Tiltable grinding chamber for an easy discharge of steel balls
– Easy cleaning characteristics
– Compatible with a product re-circulation system
– Direct gear drive motor

Ball mill refiner up to 100 kg/h

Compact, vertical ball mill:

– Jacketed grinding chamber for pre-heating and cooling
– Easy cleaning characteristics
– Adjustable grinding shaft speed
– Temperature monitoring
– Compatible with a product re-circulation mixing tank
– Compatible with an automatic process control
– Direct gear drive motor

Ball mill refiners up to 1,000 kg/h

Compact, vertical ball mill:

– Possible to customize according to throughput requirements
– Jacketed grinding chamber for pre-heating and cooling
– Easy cleaning characteristics
– Adjustable grinding shaft speed
– Temperature monitoring
– Compatible with a product re-circulation mixing tank
– Compatible with an automatic process control
– Direct gear drive motor

Chocolate processing

For chocolate, spreadings and fillings production we offer batch ball mill units. Our mills have been developed with a focus on the unique needs that small-scale production require. With the help from innovative ideas we strive to continuously increase the quality of ball mill processing. By controllable refining time, recirculation rate and shaft speed, the refining process can be customized for each product and each requirement. Thanks to the controllable product re-circulation flow, the ball mill conching effect can be used at ist maximum.

Chocolate refining up to 50 kg/h

Compact unit with vertical ball mill and ventilated mixing vessel:

– Jacketed grinding chamber for pre-heating and cooling
– Optional with jacketed grinding shaft
– Adjustable grinding shaft speed
– Adjustable pumping rate for re-circulation
– Temperature monitoring
– Compatible with an automatic process and recipee control
– Direct gear drive motor

Chocolate refining up to 500 kg/h

Compact units with vertical ball mill and ventilated mixing vessel:

Butter pressing

The fatty component of oilseeds is often the most valuable and therefor often the most desirable process output. Our small-scale butter pressing technology offers a financially viable solution to press cocoa as well as other oilseeds. In the case of cocoa the ability to process de-hulled cocoa beans (nibs) without further treatment, the machine line-up can be kept at a minimum compared to traditional cocoa liquor pressing. This reduces investment and maintenance cost, complexity and space requirement. With the possibility to install multiple smaller units, the processing capacity is highly flexible and can easily be extended at later stages. The small pressing units can be used for the pressing of oilseeds, such as peanuts, cashews etc. We also offer complete pressing plants with pre-filtering and fine-filtering systems.

Compact butter pressing, up to 10 kg/h

Small compact pressing unit:

– Easy to operate and maintain
– Very compact dimensions
– Temperature controlled process
– Heatable press head nozzle
– Variable product feeding
– Rest-fat content of cake < 10 % - Small sized press cake discharge as pellets

Butter pressing plant < 100 kg/h

Compact pressing plant with variable capacity:

– Easy to operate and maintain
– Flexible capacity
– Temperature controlled process
– Heatable press head nozzle
– Variable product feeding
– Rest-fat content of cake < 10 % - Compatible with automatic process control - Small sized press cake discharge as pellets

Butter pressing plant > 100 kg/h

Single unit expeller presses with capacities of 100 kg/h and 400 kg/h:

– Easy to operate and maintain
– Temperature controlled process
– Heatable press head nozzle
– Variable product feeding
– Rest-fat content of cake down to 10 %
– Compatible with an automatic process control

Filtering systems

We can offer the suitable filtering system for your application. Depending on the required throughput we apply technologies, such as sediment pre-filtering, filter-press and cricket filter.

Tempering and blocking

For product transfer, storage and tempering we offer suitable solutions depending on customer requirements. For automated processes we offer complete transferring and tempering systems with jacketed, stainless-steel product piping, heatable pumps, storage tanks, tempering unit and control systems.

Tempering unit up to 300 kg/h

Small compact industrial tempering unit for 100 – 300 kg/h:

– Piston operated tempering unit with a wide throughput range
– Very compact dimensions
– Three zone tempering chamber
– Continuous tempering process
– Variable throughput
– Compatible with an automatic process control and blocking/filling units

We can supply machinery for all processing steps, from cleaning and drying up to fine-grinding, chocolate refining or butter pressing. Our focus is customer oriented and so we are eager to know About your needs, your requirements and possible existing machinery. This helps us to offer a suitable solution for your case. This might concern reaching the optimal refining performance with our offer, depending on an existing pre-grinder or end-refiner. It could also concern the dimensioning of an offered Winnower depending on if beans or nibs roasting is practiced or if a pre-dryer is used.

Due to this, we talk less about standard solutions and more about custom oriented solutions. In terms of roasting we usually recommend beans roasting for smaller bean to bar projects, but nibs roasting for higher capacities. For refining we use industrial quality corundum grinders for the pre-grinding and vertical ball mills for the end-refining and chocolate refining.

Since 2020 we can offer a new small-scale processing solution to extract cocoa butter, which makes this process viable also at a small scale with maintained product quality.