Bühler claims world first with latest five-roll choolate refiner series

A key sense of anticipation built on the opening day of interpack for a  milestone equipment release of Bühler’s latest Finer S Edition 26 five-roll refiner, billed as a global first for its 12-micron processing capacity, writes Neill Barston.

The media launch for the opening day of the show attracted plenty of interest from across the global audience, which had descended on Dusseldorf to witness the largest packaging and processing event in the globe.

For its part, Bühler also unveiled its ELK S Edition 26 single-shaft conche as a counterpart machine for chocolate processing, which has remained a core area of focus for business  – which now spans multiple industries, from grain processing through to advanced automotive components.

As the business noted, its new Edition 26, Bühler has set out to equip customers for future requirements and reinforcing its leading position in the chocolate industry.

According to the company, its full system upgrade was developed around its Playone automation system, included as a standard component. The Finer S and ELK S Edition 26 automation systems deliver a wide range of benefits, from improved user-friendliness and advanced automation features to remote monitoring and control.

Through its proven technologies, Bühler has won long-standing trust and recognition from customers across the global chocolate industry. For decades, its DoMiReCo process – dosing, mixing, refining, and conching – has set the benchmark.

At the heart of this process are refining and conching, the two steps that largely define final product quality. Fineness, taste and aroma, flow behavior, and raw material efficiency are all shaped here. With Edition 26, Bühler is helping customers address industry challenges and turn them into business opportunities.

“Our roll refiner has helped shape the chocolate industry for more than a century. Achieving fineness down to 12 micrometers – crucial for the target particle-size distribution that delivers mouthfeel and smoothness – remains unique to Bühler’s five-roll refiner. That is why we built the Edition 26 on the strongest possible foundation, adding value where customers feel it most: easier operation, greater reliability, higher energy efficiency, optimised maintenance, and better hygiene,” says Skeljzen Nesimi, Head of Product Management, Chocolate & Flavor Creation, Bühler.

With cocoa price volatility and supply shortages, getting the most out of every cocoa bean is not just a slogan – it is a direct lever on profitability. Working closely with customers, Bühler engineers took a whole-process view to pinpoint where performance can be improved.

To deliver gains, such as greater reliability, higher energy efficiency, and optimised maintenance, Bühler harnesses the full potential of digital solutions. “Our sensor technology monitors the refining process and automatically fine-tunes roll speed, pressure, and temperature – all without manual intervention and independent of operator skills. This real-time optimization ensures consistent fineness, increases throughput, and reduces waste,” says Skeljzen Nesimi. A stable and consistent fineness prevents costly fat overdosing in the conche, saving significant production costs.

“In a 24/7 production environment, even small adjustments matter. Our new energy-efficient IE5 motors cut energy consumption by up to 3%. A more hygienic design strengthens food safety and improves access for cleaning, as well as reducing downtime,” says Skeljzen Nesimi. Uptime is further boosted through simplified maintenance and advanced diagnostics.

As the company added, conching gives chocolate manufacturers precise control over flavor development, mouthfeel, and flow behavior. Bühler’s ELK S Edition 26 single-shaft conche creates the desired chocolate flavour while reliably removing unwanted volatiles and moisture, delivering consistent, repeatable results. The ELK S Edition 26 focuses on simplified operation, energy efficiency, hygienic design, and improved accessibility.

“We have redesigned multiple components on the machine, to make it even easier to operate and maintain. Besides the completely new automation system, we have adapted the machine frame and design for higher hygiene and better maintenance. New IE5 drives and food-grade materials also enable higher efficiency and safer production,” says Skeljzen Nesimi.

The proven technology of conching – featuring specially designed ELK conching tools – remains unchanged, enabling intense shearing and high fat release for a perfect mouthfeel and taste. These tools, combined with the conching control, can reduce energy consumption by up to 30% and increase throughput without compromising taste and quality. In addition, fat savings of up to 2% are achievable due to enhanced shearing and improved fat release.

“Our new automation system, powered by Bühler’s Playone, frees operators to focus on higher-value tasks such as quality control. With its web-based design, it can be accessed via any authorised factory device, such as tablet, desktop, or smartphone, adding flexibility to the production setup,” says Skeljzen Nesimi. With such a high level of digitalisation and automation features, customers benefit from simpler operation, faster onboarding, and higher process transparency .