Finamac

Chocolate Products

Welcome to the Chocolate World!

Chocolate is one of the favorite food in the world, besides being one of the most versatile ingredients for making sweets.

Cocoa farmers are more established in small countries that have excellence in their planting, such as the Dominican Republic and countries of Africa and the Caribbean.

The cocoa plantation in Brazil, due to the warm and humid weather, represents the 5^th World Biggest Production.

The type of chocolate to be sold depends on the client to be reached. The difference lies not only in price, the origin chocolate has at least 60% cocoa and milk chocolate contains at most 30%.

Countries like Belgium and Switzerland do not plant the cocoa they use. The good quality of their products follows the grain used, the technology and tradition. In Venezuela, the cocoa bean is superior to the Brazilian, considered acid.

For a century, the manufacture of chocolates was dominated by artisans, who developed methods and flavors themselves. With the demand and need for lower prices, greater production scale began to be considered, supplied by technological advances.

Of the various products that can be made with chocolate, the most popular products are molded, which can be divided into two classes: bonbons (characterized by the presence of the filling) and candies.

For manufacturing these products is needed the following equipment, compatible with the manufacturing steps:

Melting: In this stage the objective is to melt all the fat crystals, to be all in the same form when crystallization starts.

Its temperature should be controlled at 45 ° C and never exceed 50 ° C. The equipment must have a system for maintaining the set temperature, and the chocolate constantly moving, providing greater and equal heat transfer, which improves the quality of the chocolate melted.

Tempering: objective crystallization of fat in the right way, by cooling the chocolate, causing a thermal shock. What happens is that the cocoa fat can crystallize in different ways, but the best is called beta.

The crystals of fat are the key to producing a brilliant chocolate, which does not melt, spotless and smooth textured. As each chocolate has a fat content of cocoa, each chocolate each will have its ideal temperature of crystallization to form beta crystals.

In manual production, there is a lot of rework and loss of chocolate, because there is no temperature control.

The best equipment is the one that promotes the maintenance of controlled cooling and crystallization temperature, and a working temperature which is slightly higher than the temperature of thermal shock, so that the chocolate is more fluid and easier to work without, however, lose the shape of the crystals.

There are three parameters to be controlled during the tempering:


1. The final temperature tempering will vary with the composition of chocolate.


2. The crystallization time will vary with the equipment and the composition of chocolate. In general, the crystallization time should be sufficient to allow a "slow" crystallization to obtain crystals more stable, but can not be too long that melts the crystals already formed.


3. The speed of agitation will influence the "break" the fat globules and heat transfer, so it can not be too high for a fast transfer of heat and destroy the crystals of fat.


Dispensers: In artisan productions, it’s the most difficult and laborious, but in Chocomachine, with the dosage controlled by the operator, there are two options:


With the dispenser: tool that has dosage forms of the measures that the chocolatier uses more, thus facilitating the production of the very best selling products.


Without the dispenser: promotes the versatility to dispense the chocolate in different forms, from the chocolate candies to Easter eggs, in any size.


In addition to the dispenser, molds are of great importance. Formerly the molds were made of metal, but were very heavy, and also causing great noise in processing.

Currently the material used is polycarbonate, which provides a final product of higher quality, lower energy consumption and production without noise.

Models of chocolates with details or angles in tight, difficult removal of the ready product.

To make filled chocolates, it is necessary first to "cone". The chocolate is dispensed on the molds and placed on a shaking platform just as the chocolate mass, time on the table cool the outer wall forming the cone, and the excess can be returned. The filling is then placed and covered with chocolate.



Vibro Desk: a vibrating table allows the elimination of air, while the chocolate was not yet hardened, which allows no spaces in between the chocolate, which can promote faster melting.


Besides the separated equipments or Chocomachine will be required forms, spatulas, frost free refrigerators, packaging and desks. With a machine that optimizes the production, it is not needed many tools beyond the essentials, so the production space is much smaller.

The validity of the chocolate is at least 6 months, when there is loss of aroma and flavor, and can last up to one year. White spots in the chocolate are caused by exposure to strong heat, and the consequent fat rise to the surface fat, but does not mean it is ruined.