On 27 and 28 June 2023, this conference was held in Freising in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging (IVV) and the Industrial Association for Food Technology and Packaging (IVLV). A total of more than 80 participants were present, who were offered a wide range of topics.

By Dr. Jörg Häseler

Guests were greeted at the Lindenkeller by Oliver Stricker (August Storck KG, 1st Chairman of IVLV AG Schokoladentechnologie) and Dr. Marc Lutz (Migros Industrie AG, 2nd Chairman of the AG). The Industry Association for Food Technology and Packaging e. V. (IVLV) Managing Director Dr-Ing. Tobias Voigt and the conference’s Scientific Director Dr. Isabell Rothkopf were also pleased about the number of attendees.

The wide-ranging conference started with the topic, “Fillings and Spreads”. Ms. Hilke Schacht (IVV) informed the audience about oil mobility in nut pastes and controlling it through the process technology, showing how the grinding degree setting for hazelnuts had the greatest influence on the properties of nougat pastes in every measurement. Coarser grinding results in a reduction of the oil’s binding capacity, viscosity, flow moisture point, stability against deformation and elasticity.

One aspect she pointed out as a reason related to the binding conduct of the oil is the fact that fine grinding results in more particle surface on which the free oil can accumulate. In contrast, a shorter mixing time results in greater oil binding capacity and better stability against deformation. It must how-ever be noted that the increasing temperatures in the Thermomix resulting from increasing mixing time likely have an influence.

Dr Gottfried Ziegleder (IVV) cited the monohydrate of the α-variant of the disaccharide lactose in particular as resulting in an unpleasant mouthfeel. The water content of chocolate is closely linked with this phenomenon. Yvonne Guckenbiehl (IVV) explained her findings regarding water as a transport medium for flavours, since water acts as an entrainer for flavours from the cocoa portions onto the sugar. Furthermore, small quantities of water in chocolate production can have major effects on the chemical and physical properties. She additionally presented methods for the analytical determination of the water content. What initially sounds trivial most certainly is not. Each method has its benefits and disadvantages, and no single method can be cited that fulfils every requirement because different respective types of water are determined, including water of crystallisation or free water.

Under the title “How’s it taste? – Flavour characteristics of powdered milk and milk chocolate”, Dr Eva Ortner (IVV) explained the influence of conching on the amorphous lactose content, citing revealing findings. The conching temperature, the raw material selected and the ventilation have a significant influence. A lower level of amorphous lactose correlates with lower viscosity, a lower flow moisture point and lower water content. Additionally, there were practical references to the retronasal flavour profiles of milk
chocolate. As such, there is no correlation of the sensory data with the quantitative data for the fresh milk taste.

Dr Ulrich Adolphi (Wilhelm Reuss GmbH & Co. KG Lebensmittelwerk) presented his observations from actual practice, providing deep insights into production, particularly regarding viscosity as the key to understanding chocolate production and processing. “Viscosity is much too simple a term for the complexity,” he said. In summarising, he outlined what a liquid is, what a solid is and what a chocolate is in relation to this term:
• Oils and fats behave like Newtonian liquids, meaning that the viscosity is only determined by the molecular mobility – regardless of the shearing.
• Concentrated dispersions like chocolate demonstrate non-Newtonian behaviour.
• Behaviour in a solid state can be attributed to viscoelastic properties.

Holger Hölzemann (Mondelez International) guided the audience through the production of chocolate and referred to contamination sources through the rod-shaped salmonellae, the germ reduction for which is particularly relevant at the beginning of the chocolate production process. The most important entry point for these microorganisms is the cocoa bean, but nuts can also be in-herently contaminated. The fatal trait of salmonellae is their survivability. He recommended that steam treatment is more effective than dry roasting for eliminating salmonellae.

He referred to hygiene in general and pointed out that, when expanding systems, dead volumes must be avoided since they frequently escape cleaning. Such areas are ideal for the formation of a biofilm that can contaminate several batches.Andrea Strube (IVV) took a close look at the yacón root as a source of alternative sweeteners for muesli bars and chocolate fillings, because the root contains fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin. She called the South American root a “gamechanger” in the world of sweet tasting substances. However, its use is linked with numerous problems that have to be resolved.

In particular, the cost of yacón bulbs and the search for commercial viability represent a challenge. It is not affordable at the moment because cultivation of the root, featuring a taste reminiscent of a mixture of cucumber, turnip and melons, is extremely rare in Europe. Added to this are problems with storage, because the ingredients require processing soon after harvesting. Solutions for this problem include effective marketing strategies and projects for using byproducts from yacón processing. She articulated the ability of the standardisation of yacón products to minimise seasonal fluctuations as a result of optimised processes as a solution approach.

Using byproducts such as husks and pulp, volatile flavour components, FOS from the shell and fibres in other products like muesli bars and protein drinks can definitely improve the sustainability of yacón processing