Processing Equipment & Systems, Automation, Control

Confidence in Brazilian biscuit market could crumble

27-May-2015 By Vladimir Pekic

Brazilian biscuit makers are set for a tough year in light of planned energy price hikes and a sharp currency depreciation, warns Brazil's Association of Biscuit, Pasta, Industrial Bread and Cake Industries (ABIMAPI).

Choc Edge: 3D printing won’t compete with moulding but will boost personalized confectionery market

30-Apr-2015 By Gabor Isai, supply chain, Choc Edge

3D printing holds great promise to further develop a personality confectionery market worth $13.4bn and poses no real threat to chocolate moulding, writes Choc Edge's Gabor Isai.

Dispatches from Hispack 2015

Hosokawa Bepex files patent for quick mass change on chocolate production equipment

30-Apr-2015 By Jenny Eagle

Hosokawa Bepex which supplies production equipment for the confectionery industry has developed a concept for quick mass changes for chocolate, which has been filed for patent.

Slow-to-evolve FDA regulations could holdback 3D printing of food

15-Apr-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

Investing in 3D printing could open new markets and generate huge cost savings for food manufacturers and retailers, but first companies must overcome potential regulatory and legal hurdles, many of which are not yet identified, warn food and drug lawyers...

Sweet succession: Nestlé engineer follows on in her grandfather’s footsteps

02-Apr-2015 By Jenny Eagle

Lucy McGeorge is following in the footsteps of her grandfather, Ronald (Ronnie) McCrindle as an engineering apprentice in electrical, maintenance and repair at Nestlé, Girvan in Scotland, a chocolate crumb manufacturing facility which goes into brands...

Rasch claims ‘plug and play’ temperer offers better viscosity for smaller confectioners

17-Mar-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Rasch has launched a mobile tempering unit that it says has a bigger cooling surface than competitor machines and a second cooling level for more homogeneous chocolate masses.

The next dimension: Chocolate art possible with 3D-printed molds, says design firm

02-Mar-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

3D chocolate printing is not yet quick enough for industrial production, but chocolate molds created using the technology can produce surfaces with intricate detail, says Lehrmitt Design Studios.

Editorial calendar

Better-for-you candy, energy-efficient processing and portion-control: ConfectioneryNews unveils 2015 features lineup

26-Feb-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

We’ve chosen four topics for our 2015 special editions and are inviting expert comment.

Mars and IBM to use genetic data for food safety understanding

29-Jan-2015 By Joseph James Whitworth

Mars and IBM Research have created a consortium which will use advances in genomics to boost food safety.

What does the future hold for 3-D chocolate printing?

Every home to have a 3-D printer sooner than you think, says Hershey

27-Jan-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Hershey tips 3-D printing to take off like the microwave oven in the Eighties - with ultra-customized designs a possibility in retail stores.

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Going green, organic and natural: ConfectioneryNews readies for ISM and ProSweets 2015

14-Jan-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

ConfectioneryNews will be reporting from ISM and ProSweets 2015 next month in Cologne where the organizers anticipate growing interest in organic products, natural ingredients and sustainable packaging.

Clever chocolate: Can consumer-driven NPD work?

28-Nov-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Incorporating a consumer-first approach to new product development can be advantageous for complex items like filled chocolates, claim researchers.

Clearfleau ‘chocolate soup’ cuts Nestlé electricity bill by 8%

19-Nov-2014 By Jenny Eagle

Clearfleau has built an on-site industrial anaerobic digestion (AD) plant at Nestlé's Fawdon confectionery factory, near Newcastle in the UK, which makes gums, pastilles and Rolo chocolates.

Special Edition: Cost effective confectionery processing

How can smaller chocolate makers develop a unique taste without breaking bank?

14-Nov-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Manufacturers can take control of chocolate flavor development by milling cocoa nibs themselves, but without the extra expense of roasting and winnowing of cocoa, according to equipment supplier Netzsch.

Special Edition: Cost effective confectionery processing

Seven tips for processing equipment purchasing for SMEs

14-Nov-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Suppliers at Pack Expo 2014 offer tips for confectionery companies taking their first steps into processing.

Special Edition: Cost effective confectionery processing

‘Lego-style’: Room for smaller confectioners, but choose scalable equipment

14-Nov-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

A gap in the market exists for smaller premium confectioners, but they must buy scalable processing equipment that caters to current volumes and not anticipated market demand, says Carle&Montanari-OPM.

Starch molds for functional confections no longer acceptable, says Baker Perkins

13-Nov-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Baker Perkins is urging manufacturers of functional confections to ditch starch-based molding because the method will not meet future hygiene standards.

Live from Gulfood Manufacturing 2014

Cargill Foods launches commercial operation for METNA

09-Nov-2014 By Jenny Eagle

Cargill Foods has launched a commercial operation for METNA (Middle East, Turkey & North Africa) to operate under one business sector.

Mondelēz eyes premium Asian exports with largest R&D center in Australia

03-Nov-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Mondelēz International has officially opened its Asia-Pacific Chocolate and Confectionery Center of Excellence in Australia, creating a base for the largest food R&D team in the country, according to local government. 

How to measure probiotic counts in chocolate

15-Oct-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Flow cytometry – a laser-based cell sensor system – is almost twice as accurate at measuring probiotic levels in chocolate when compared to traditional methods, according to research.

Patent Watch

Nestlé develops inkjet printing using only ‘kitchen cupboard’ ingredients

24-Sep-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Nestlé’s R&D arm Nestec has filed a patent for inkjet printing on panned confections such as Smarties chocolate and biscuits using only ingredients it claims consumers would be familiar with.

Whole new ball game: Double-ball lollipops to be a hit in Asia, says Baker Perkins

23-Sep-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

A novel lollipop shape featuring two hard candy balls allows confectioners to combine colors and flavors in a single product and could prove popular in Asia, says equipment supplier Baker Perkins.

AmDough biscuit belts gain EC food contact approval

22-Sep-2014

Ammeraal Beltech has received EC food contact approval for its AmDough rotary moulder belts.

European confectioners reluctant to pay premium for hygienic machines

08-Aug-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

European confectionery manufacturers must break the bank for hygienically designed processing equipment or risk paying the price for a damaging product recall, says Hosokawa.

Contamination detection needs to improve to appease retailers, says Mettler-Toledo

06-Aug-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Inspection system features like reject confirmation systems and locked reject bins can help confectionery manufacturers stay abreast of the exacting safety demands of big retailers, says Mettler-Toledo.

ADM to pay $430,000 settlement for violations

01-Aug-2014 By Joseph James Whitworth

Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $430,000 to settle allegations that it violated the Clean Water Act (CWA) at five large oil storage facilities.

Patent watch

Watertight idea? Mars files patent for multi-texture caramel

31-Jul-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Mars has filed a patent for ‘multi-texture’ caramel products, using a method that prevents moisture migration from caramel to crispy components without the need for a fat-based moisture barrier.

German choc firm shifts packaging to Poland in search of cheaper labor

31-Jul-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Hachez, owned by the Danish Toms Group, will move part of its packaging production from Germany to Poland in an attempt to claw back some of its recent losses.

Industrial 3D chocolate printing due in 3-5 years, says Choc Edge

07-Jul-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Industrial-scale 3D chocolate printers will be on the market within five years, according to 3D printing firm Choc Edge.

Bürkert FloWave starts field tests in the dairy industry

27-Jun-2014 By Jenny Eagle

Bürkert FloWave, which measures the flow of a liquid in a pipe, is being tested in the dairy industry and has requests from a chocolate manufacturer.

Hershey in the race to develop 3D chocolate

11-Jun-2014 By Nicola Cottam

US firm 3D Systems is collaborating with chocolate manufacturing giant Hershey’s to develop 3D chocolates fit for the commercial market.

Chocolate biscuits: The future is more sophisticated, says Aasted

05-Jun-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Chocolate and biscuits have long been paired, but future R&D will be far more sophisticated in terms of production, says the head of business development at Aasted.

In conversation with Sollich Executive Director Ralf Schäffer

Sollich talks chocolate: Africa plays catch-up, Asia and South America boom

05-Jun-2014 By Kacey Culliney

Africa’s chocolate market remains a little behind but Asia and South America are booming, and each market needs to be approached differently, says the executive director of Sollich.

CKG cashing-in on burgeoning Middle East chocolate market

02-Jun-2014 By Nicola Cottam

Ivory Coast-based, CKG Group Holding is to expand its chocolate operations into Oman in a joint venture with the ‘Sultanate’.

Cargill puts Sulawesi on sustainable map as part of $100m Indonesian investment

16-May-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Swiss business developer and Indonesian government signs Cargill Cocoa Promise, just as the firm announces initial cocoa processing tests at its first Asian plant in East Java.

Tomric Systems acquires World's Best Chocolate Moulds

02-May-2014

US chocolate moulds firm Tomric Systems has acquired World's Best Chocolate Moulds for an undisclosed sum.

Synthetic polymer analysis to help gum makers develop novel bases – study

02-May-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Researchers at the University of Arkansas have discovered a method to characterize polyvinyl acetate in chewing gum that could allow gum manufacturers to experiment with new gum base formulations.

Mess-free starch molding: The dirty tray menace will be history, says LHT

23-Apr-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

LHT Consultancy and Eagle Vision have developed a system that can help gummie manufacturers save upwards of $50,000 a year by detecting problems on starch molding lines.

dispatches from Analytica 2014

Taking the temperature of quality control

16-Apr-2014 By Joseph James Whitworth

Refrigerated and heating circulators are vital tools in quality control in the food industry, according to Julabo.  

Novel conching process opens doors for small firms to produce own chocolate mass

03-Apr-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

A new conching process called coarse conching will make it more affordable for smaller chocolate companies to produce their own chocolate mass, according to researchers.

Roses are red, violets are blue, and so is chocolate, says Barry Callebaut

13-Mar-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Barry Callebaut says chocolate makers can produce products in novel colors far easier with its new flower-shaped food colorant pellets compared to using high doses of powder and liquid dyes.

Europain 2014

Weiss powder praline aims to cut waste

12-Mar-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Powder praline will help confectioners cut waste and save production time previously lost with paste separation, says French chocolate maker Weiss.

Eliminate unnecessary processes with one-stop cutter-mixer: RoboQbo

10-Mar-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Chocolate makers can cut out timely and costly processes by using a single cutter-mixer vessel, according to Italian equipment supplier RoboQbo.

F&B industry will need 170,300 recruits by 2020 to meet consumer demand

Nestlé to debut live Twitter debate

05-Mar-2014 By Jenny Eagle

Nestlè UK and Taste Success, an industry-led campaign by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) will host a live Twitter Q&A with engineering graduates from its apprenticeship scheme from midday-2pm tomorrow (Thursday, March 6).

Dark choc improves heart health, but it’s got nothing to do with flavanols

28-Feb-2014 By Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn

Dark chocolate may help restore flexibility to arteries and prevent white blood cells from sticking to the walls of blood vessels, but increasing flavanol content will not affect these effects and may even put consumers off, say researchers.

'We expect consumption in Europe to remain weak'

Natra to increase American and Asian presence by 50% in two years

19-Dec-2013 By Jenny Eagle

Natra announced it will open a sales office in Hong Kong this year, as well as its first production site outside Europe, in Canada.

Haribo signs JPG engineering firm for new factory

09-Dec-2013 By Michael Stones

Sweet manufacturer Haribo has booked Leeds-based engineering firm JPG to build its £92M confectionery plant at Castleford, West Yorkshire.

Sewtec opens R&D center to develop confectionery robotics

20-Nov-2013

UK production line supplier Sewtec has opened an R&D facility in England to support customer projects and to develop robotic equipment for the confectionery industry.

IP69K rating is a Fortress for metal detector

18-Nov-2013 By Joseph James Whitworth

Fortress Technology has received IP69K rating for its Stealth mode of metal detector, stressing the importance of robust washdowns in food safety.

Cocoa flavanol losses reduced with superheated steam roasting: Study

18-Nov-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Superheated steam roasting retains more phenols and flavonoids during cocoa processing than the conventional roasting method, according to research by Universiti Sains in Malaysia.