Akwaba Elephant D'OR
Cocoa processing technology
Plant for the processing of cocoa mass and cocoa butter
The need for finishing cocoa, in terms of meeting the required quality, and taking into account the poor quality of the input raw material caused by climate changes and the price range of quality raw materials, a plant for debacterization, neutralization and deodorization of cocoa mass and cocoa butter was designed.
The main advantages of the plant are in the Unique method of processing cocoa mass and cocoa butter, which can be of very poor quality in terms of bacteriology and chemistry, which is given in the process scheme and P&I diagram.
The equipment is based on a DEodorization (physical deacidification-reduction of FFA and odor removal) plant, which works with a vacuum of 99.8% (2 mBar abs. pressure), and which is used in the process of drying cocoa mass after debacterization and neutralization.
Problems that were solved by inserting new individual equipment are solved here in one plant, which as a final result gives a quality product with simple management, lower energy consumption and lower investment.
The facility is energy efficient and unique in its solutions.
Brief description of the plant
The deodorization plant, as the basis of the plant, consists of the following units:
– Reception and storage of raw materials
– Transport of raw materials by pumps and pipelines that are heated with hot water
– Deaeration of the incoming raw material
– Heating in heat exchangers
– FFA removal and odor removal (deodorization) in the column
– Condensation of FFA and removal
– Cooling of the deodorized product and storage
– Four-stage ejector plant for vacuum
– Closed water cycle with cooling towers
By using the lower part of the column (DZ 1) for the purposes of debacterization and neutralization, with the addition of equipment for the preparation of an alkaline agent and other necessary equipment, a unique plant was obtained as previously stated
Deodorization
Container for preparing alkaline solution
Facility data
Plant capacity per year for 200 working days in 3 shifts continuously:
– deodorization: 500-1250 kg/lot (2400-6000 tons/year)
– Debacterization/Neutralization of cocoa mass: 800 kg/lot (2000 tons/year)
– Debacterization/Neutralization of cocoa butter: 500-1250 kg/h (2400-6000 Tons/year)
Quality of incoming raw materials
– According to the manufacturer’s specification
– For physical deacidification of cocoa butter input FFA <2.2%
Quality of the finished product
– According to the standard
Energy needs
– Dry saturated steam 10 bar(g) – 320 kg/h;
– Dry saturated steam 3 bar(g) – 80 kg/h;
– Dry saturated steam 1 bar(g) – 45 kg/h;
– Installed electrical power 110 kW, 400V, 50Hz;
– Amount of water for filling the system – 12 m3;
– Amount of water for refilling/cleaning/alkalization – up to 1.5 m3/h;
– Amount of air at a pressure of 8 bar(g) – 30 lit/min;
– Hot water min 60ºC – 1 m3/h in recirculation.
Space required
– the minimum required space is given in the picture.
10 m3 tanks for raw materials and finished products are not included in the scope of delivery. Tanks are specially ordered according to the customer’s needs
