Cocoa Powder & Butter

Cocoa Powder and Butter Production

In 1828 CJ van Houten (a Dutch Chemist and Chocolate maker) patented a process for pressing cocoa butter out of roasted and ground cocoa nibs for the production of cocoa powder and cocoa butter. Over it’s 130 year existence Royal Duyvis Wiener expanded on the patent of Mr. van Houten and became the dominant global supplier for cocoa presses as well as powder milling and stabilization systems.

Cocoa Pressing

Cocoa liquor itself consists of two (2) components; cocoa butter and cocoa powder. In a cocoa press the ‘solids’ (what will be cocoa powder) and the ‘liquids’ (cocoa butter) are separated by pushing the liquor up against a screen in a closed chamber – the screen is designed to let the butter pass through but to keep the ‘solids’ inside the chamber. Depending on the needed capacity a press can have anywhere from 6 to 20 of these chambers, typically referred to as ‘pots’. Separating the butter from the solids requires an astronomical amount force (generated hydraulically), at the end of the cycle the pressure reaches a peak of about 1,000 bar force on the product (15,000 pounds on every square inch). Because there is so much force put on the product, the ‘solids’ come out as hard as a brick, which is referred to as ‘cake’ and is later processed into cocoa powder.

Duyvis Cocoa Butter Press

Cocoa Butter Press

Cocoa Press Image

A cocoa butter press consists of a series of pots (and counter-pots) that are filled with cocoa liquor under high pressure. Each pot has a press plate and two layers of filters on either side of the chamber – while using hydraulic pressure to make the chambers smaller and smaller the filters will keep the solids inside (turns into a hard disk called cake!) while it lets the butter escape. The main benefit of hydraulic pressing is that it creates no sheer forces on the product and allows for exact control of the volume of cocoa butter pressed out ensuring optimum product quality. After a few minutes sufficient butter is pressed out (typically to about 10 – 12% rest fat in the cake, sometimes to 20 – 24%), the press opens and the cakes drop out to the convening system below. Before being transported to the cocoa powder milling system the cakes are first broken into smaller pieces called ‘kibble’. The Duyvis cocoa butter presses have been proven to be the very best, capable of continuous operation with a very high capacity and an excellent output quality. The Duyvis cocoa butter presses are the most efficient with the lowest operating costs by far and are THE world-wide standard in the cocoa industry.

Capacity

Press Type	Capacities [kg / hr] – low-fat cake	Capacities [kg / hr] – high fat cake
4560/7	300 - 500	500 - 1,200
4560/18	500 - 1,450	1,000 - 2,850
4560/20	1,000 - 1,550	1,500 - 3,100
6080/18	1,250 - 3,000	3,000 - 5,000

Features

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Precision design and manufacturing, high quality and patented technology

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Use of only the highest quality durable materials, that are wear and distortion resistant

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Low operational cost

Benefits

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Extremely durable, low maintenance reliable equipment

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Residual fat content as low as 8% can be achieved

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All parts standardized – Pots and counter-pots are interchangeable

Butter filtering

A cocoa butter filter is used to remove any remaining ‘solids’ from the cocoa butter after being pressed. Cocoa butter is clear when liquid and turns opaque/white when crystallized. A second process step, known as ‘deodorization’, is a process generally used to strip all flavor components from the cocoa butter, which has a very mild flavor to begin with. Cocoa butter (like cocoa liquor) is supplied in bulk mostly to the chocolate/confectionery and cosmetics industry. Deliveries are usually in 25 kilo blocks that need to be melted or ‘liquid loads’ from tanker trucks.

Cocoa Butter Filter

With this new concept, the old-fashioned horizontal cocoa butter filter cloth press has been replaced by our fully automatic cocoa butter filtration system. The new cocoa butter filtration system makes manual cleaning redundant and virtually eliminates manual labor. The fully automatic cocoa butter filter consists of a pressure vessel with vertically suspended filter elements on the inside.

During the cocoa butter filtration process, unfiltered cocoa butter is pumped into the pressure vessel; while being pressed through the system the solid particles remain on the outside of the filter cloth. Compressed air is used to automatically clean the filter cloths. The deposit (slurry) falls to the bottom of the vessel and is subsequently pumped back to the liquor tank. After the automatic cleaning cycle the system is again ready for production.

Capacity

Cocoa Butter Filter Type	Capacities kg / hr
DBF750	250 - 750
DBF1250	750 - 1,250
DBF2300	1,250 - 2,300
DBF3300	2,300 - 3,300
DBF5000	3,300 - 5,000

Features

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Clean and closed system, stainless steel

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Continuous and fully automatic cocoa butter filter

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Automatic removal of the 'solids' that is returned to the press room

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Easy to operate

Benefits

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Virtually maintenance free

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Integrated buffering capacity allows for a continuous flow of cocoa butter

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Coca butter comes out absolutely crystal clear

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Easy to keep clean

Milling & Stabilizing

The ICM cocoa powder mill from the Royal Duyvis Wiener group is used to mill cocoa kibble to the desired end-fineness in the cocoa powder. Cocoa powder must be extremely fine to prevent grittiness in the final consumer product such as ‘chocolate ice cream’. Since the solid ‘cake’ was previously refined during the ‘cocoa liquor’ milling phase, the classifier mill mostly deagglomerates the cake to turn it back into an extremely fine powder. A secondary process that takes place in the powder mill and then in two or sometime three ‘residence vessels’. This process is called cocoa powder ‘stabilization’ or ‘crystallization’. This unique Royal Duyvis Wiener process crystalizes the remaining cocoa butter in the powder, which is usually about 10 – 12%, sometimes 20 – 24%. If the cocoa powder is not stabilized correctly, it tends to have a flat color and lump back together, causing a variety of issues further into processing. Well stabilized cocoa powders with ‘beta 5’ crystals are free flowing even when stored in big bags for longer periods of time and will also have a bright extrinsic color. Cocoa powder stabilization is a delicate process that needs to be carefully controlled. On an industrial scale cocoa powder is typically supplied in 50 pound bags or 1 ton ‘big bags’ to bakeries, ice cream makers, chocolate makers, confectioners, etc.

ICM Cocoa Powder Mills and Stabilization

The ICM cocoa powder mill is a continuous system taking the kibble from the press and refines it in the milling chamber. By using a frequency controlled classifier the mill controls the fineness of the powder existing the mill. The mill is not only capable of deglomeration of the kibble is is also able to refine the solid particles if necessary. the mill is build from extremely durable precision engineered materials ensuring extreme up-time benefits. The mill is also easy to clean and requires very little maintenance – all up-to-date- safety features complying with ATEX or NFPA requirements are available. the stabilization system will ensure the formation of ‘beta 5’ crystals in the remaining fat in the cocoa powder ensuring a free flowing powder (no agglomerates!) with a bright color even after long term storage in big bags

Capacity

Cocoa Butter Processing Type	Capacities kg / hr
CPP 60	500 - 1,000
CPP 96	1,000 - 1,600
CPP 150	1,600 - 2,500
CPP 240	2,500 - 4,000
CPP 380	4,000 - 6,000

Features

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Easy access for cleaning

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Extremely durable low maintenance mill

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Compact foot print & energy efficient

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Built in frequency controlled cocoa powder classifier

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Incorporates the latest safety features required by ATEX or NFPA regulations

Benefits

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Produces extremely fine cocoa powders

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Stable cocoa powder, with 'beta 5' crystals, does not 'lump' after bagging

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Short product retention time, easy product change over

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Able to de-agglomerate kibble and also achieve size reduction of the solids

Cocoa Blocking

AMC Cocoa Blocking Line

The Duyvis tempering and filling systems are made specifically for the blocking-off of cocoa butter and cocoa liquor. The system can also handle most other fats and oils.

The tempering is based on the counter-flow principle. The cooler consists of one and up to four cooling reactors with internal rotating scrapers. A frequency controlled pump moves the product through the cooling tubes. The scrapers thoroughly mix the semi-crystallized mass away from the chilled cooling reactor surface.

The boxes are automatically filled to the exact weight. After approximately 5 to 20 minutes (for cocoa butter and cocoa liquor respectively), the product in the box is fully solidified and can be closed, transported and palletized.

During the short time it takes to transport the full box and replace it with a new empty box, the filling valve is closed and the product temporarily flows into a small buffer vessel. This buffer empties itself when the filling is started again, thus saving filling time and energy.