HDM completes cocoa and chocolate processing centre

A significant investment of over €2million has been made by Hamburg Dresdner Maschinenfabriken (HDM)  into creating a new technical centre at its headquarters in Dresden, Germany.

According to the company, the development of the company’s latest facility marks an important milestone in providing an enhanced customer experience.

HDM said the centre, which totals 1000 square metres, is primarily available to clients and research institutions for product development and testing. It has been developed to demonstrated the entire manufacturing process, from the cocoa bean to the chocolate mass can be simulated in one location.

This includes scalable lab equipment according to standard industrial processes for the company, which has been part of the Probat Group since 2013.

Apart from the continuous roasting process for cocoa beans, batch roasting techniques for cocoa nibs can also be tested. In addition to the basic operations known in the cocoa industry, such as the winnowing and pressing of cocoa mass, there is also equipment for debacterisation and alkalisation trials.

For the production of chocolate masses, the technical centre is equipped with a mixer, a pre-refiner, a five-roll refiner (each roll separately driven) as well as a vertical single-shaft conche and a horizontal double-shaft conche. This will be completed soon by a continuous conche.

Alternatively, the company said that chocolate mass can also be produced on an all-in-one refiner/conche of its Scottish sister company MacIntyre Chocolate Systems, which is also now available for trials in Dresden.

With regard to new developments of future process solutions the technical center is also an elementary component of the company’s research and development.

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