Traceability procedure in chocolate and candy making

Good afternoon from Canada.

1.how is traceability procedure set up in chocolate candy making..

i would think that chocolate candy making would be one of the simplest process especially they just melt, mold /(enrobed),demold and pack. But in a place where batching system is not practised, traceability become so complicated.

lets say the capacity of the holding tank for melted chocolate is 6,000kg. usually they don't use up all the 6,000 kg before refilling. so basically there's still some part of batch 1 added to batch 2. shouldn't they finished the entire 6,000kg before adding batch 2 so that it's easier to isolate the finished products based on batch codes in case of recall?

and also some of the prepared raw materials are not only intended for one type of candy but different kinds and they are not being used on the same day/processing time.
is this normal in a small chocolate factory? is shelf life not shortened because of this?

is it costly to do per recipe if it is small batches? example melt only the chocolate slab you need for the entire production schedule rather than melting so much and keep it there till the production of another kind?

i couldn't imagine how is recall being done in a continous process like this.

2. also how often those pipes are cleaned? and what do they use to clean it assuming that chocolate hates water.


thanks in advance!!!

Hi there,

I found this about chocolate rework:

Legislation

1. In my opinion, chocolate rework doesnt really affect the properties of the chocolate as soon as proper conching and tempering processes are fulfilled. As far as I know the major problem in the chocolate industry is the correct fat crystal packing in order to avoid the so called "fat blooming" and if I am not mistaken the desired crystal form is the form V. As stated here:

"This form is hard with good snap and gives a glossy appearance with a relatively good resistance to bloom. It will also contract well if the liquid chocolate is poored into a mould."

But then again I didn't search quite well so I can't really answer to your question. When I will have more time I will have a deeper look on it.

2. You can find more about the moisture effect on chocolate viscocity here. I couldn't find yet something on CIP in the chocolate industry. I think you can find more in the book "Chocolate Industrial Manufacture and Use".


Good luck!
Filip

Good afternoon from Canada.

1.how is traceability procedure set up in chocolate candy making..

i would think that chocolate candy making would be one of the simplest process especially they just melt, mold /(enrobed),demold and pack. But in a place where batching system is not practised, traceability become so complicated.

lets say the capacity of the holding tank for melted chocolate is 6,000kg. usually they don't use up all the 6,000 kg before refilling. so basically there's still some part of batch 1 added to batch 2. shouldn't they finished the entire 6,000kg before adding batch 2 so that it's easier to isolate the finished products based on batch codes in case of recall?

and also some of the prepared raw materials are not only intended for one type of candy but different kinds and they are not being used on the same day/processing time.
is this normal in a small chocolate factory? is shelf life not shortened because of this?

This is a problem in continuous processes because all of your product produced between shutdowns for cleaning/maintenance should be regarded as a batch. So recalls are expensive - Ouch!

Raw materials used for different products isn't unusual and should not be a problem as long as you record the batch numbers and amounts used in each product.

Regards,

Tony

Good morning Filip and Tony,

Thank you for your replies, really appreciate it.

My dilemna is to answer the question about recall---maybe the best answer i can give them when asked about recall is to check the batch affected then check the production made before and after?

Also ,ow often do they have to clean the pipes and holding tanks?

I'm sorry,have too many questions...i've never dealth such issues before.my previous work experience in production of fruit juices has clear batching..every products prepared for the day were packed on the same day.

Welcome to the crazy world of batch chocolate production. I have been in it for a little over a year now and I am still trying to get some of the same questions anwered.

As for when a batch starts/ends, Tony C is right. Unless you create a cut off point in a bulk tank and perform regular cleaning (which is not practical), every lot runs into the next and must be traced. Recalls can be expensive but in most cases the product will be long gone for your older lots. If you get lucky and can trace a starting point (ie: a particular lot that was added to the tank), you can start from that point.

As for cleaning, depending on your system and capacities, you may not clean out the tanks/pipes very often. I won't say we have never done it, but as I said, I have been around for over a year and have not seen it and I can't seem to find anyone that wants to say when it was done last either! We do have small day tanks that are used that we clean with water and must dry 100% before re-introducing chocolate and we have one tank that we flush with oil to prevent water from entering the system.

Filip is right about rework. As long as it is handled correctly there is little to no impact.

I have worked in chocolate in the dim and distant past and it takes some getting your head around.

Yes they do become combined batches in your tank example but it also depends on how much agitation there is on what effect that will have. Rework can be a nightmare too.

Really in a recall situation, it depends upon the risk and ironically, the biggest risk in chocolate is Salmonellae which is more commonly caused by cleaning badly rather than not cleaning at all. You're actually better off keeping molten chocolate going through a system because it is dry rather than trying to wash it out. IME yearly was the most frequent a tank was cleaned because of this.

Greetings!

Answering to traceability from top-down and bottom-up (total or partial)

(see attachment)

Establish a controlled system for identifying the raw material, processed materials, and final products in every step of production.

No matter if RM taken and processed at one time and stored in 6,000 kg in holding tank where temperature is maintained and records are available!

Before that a proper planning and schedule required... So storage should not exceed long period,

Interval times (or every completion of 4th continuous batch) cleaning required with hot water.
where the system is effective for cleaning the pipes and hopper (identify the lines and/or equipment - disassembly/reassembly may required and special attention on areas of equipment where identified and required cleaning) and completely dried (zero chances of contamination).

End of the one lot (6,000 kg) CIP required, like oil flushing and sanitizing.