Pro Tips for Effective Equipment Maintenance and Cleaning

COVID-19 is a reminder of how quickly pathogens can spread and the importance of good manufacturing practices to protect your customers and your employees. RCI member, Jim Bourne with Hilliard’s Chocolate Systems shares pro tips for maintaining and cleaning your chocolate equipment.

Today’s food safety regulations regarding sanitation, allergens and labeling are being aggressively enforced at the local, state and federal levels. Keep good records of what cleaning is performed and when it’s done. Inspectors like to see this information recorded.

Equipment Maintenance

By having the chocolate equipment in good operating condition, it will help avoid possible contamination from the equipment and avoid down time. Talk with the machine manufacturer to discuss maintenance, such as lubrication with a food-grade lubricant, replacement of worn parts and wear items such as belt drives.

Create a chart to detail periodic inspections and repairs to the machinery. When a machine is not operating properly or making a new noise, investigate and repair the problem to avoid down time. Developing problems rarely get better on their own. Since cleaning is a big part of maintenance, do periodic break downs of equipment to inspect, clean and locate any issues.

Equipment Cleaning

Scheduling a few minutes each day for daily and periodic cleaning will help equipment run more efficiently and reduce the risk of contaminated product. As a fat-based food, chocolate can be easily compromised by heat, strong odors, allergens and moisture. Fortunately, chocolate has a very low moisture content and low water activity, so it is less likely to support pathogens on its own. The low moisture also means chocolate equipment does not need a complete breakdown and cleaning daily as other equipment does, such as ice cream equipment.

Cleaning methods for eliminating allergens and pathogens in chocolate equipment can be divided into two categories; dry cleaning and wet cleaning. Dry cleaning does not use water, so cleaning is done by scraping chocolate out, vacuuming out solid chocolate bits and wiping down equipment with alcohol wipes. This method is best for machine parts that can be disassembled.

Larger machines are often cleaned intact by flushing the system with melted cocoa butter to access pipes, pumps and hard-to-reach areas. Wet cleaning involves the use of warm to hot water and liquid sanitizers. The water and sanitizer will introduce moisture, so each component being wet cleaned must be completely dry before reassembly. Be sure to use sanitizers that do not have a strong fragrance, otherwise the fragrance can be picked up by the chocolate.

Wet cleaning pipes, pumps and other restricted areas can also be problematic if moisture is introduced in the cleaning process, but not removed. Introducing moisture presents a higher risk of pathogen and mold growth, so it is important that all surfaces that are wet cleaned are completely dry.

Daily Cleaning

At the end of the day, raise the chocolate temperature to break the temper. Run the untempered chocolate through the pumping system and the wire belt, because untempered chocolate is less likely to crystalize overnight. The cooling belts can be cleaned and dried while they are running. Avoid using excessive water and use only damp cleaning cloths, drying afterwards. If the equipment has screens to filter out debris, clean them at least daily. Drain chocolate from the curtain hopper and wire mesh belt into the tank to prevent the chocolate from setting up and causing problems on start up. Clean any non-chocolate materials such as nuts, sea salt and toppings from the machine. Also, clean floors and walls around and under the equipment daily.

Periodic Full Cleaning

Periodic full cleanings are a necessity. You should assess your own situation and risk to determine how frequently to perform a full cleaning. Are you more likely, in your operation, to introduce moisture, allergens or contaminants to the equipment and the chocolate? The more likely you are to be compromised, the more often you should do a complete breakdown, cleaning and drying.

Be aware that moisture or other contaminants can also be introduced by other means. Excessive moisture from centers or toppings can cause issues. HVAC in the plant can poorly filter dust or dehumidify the air. Clean and check the cooling tunnels and air blowers to eliminate condensation and dust problems.

There are operations that do a full break down quarterly, monthly and even weekly, depending on their own situation. Operations that perform very few full cleanings put themselves at the greatest risk. Following good manufacturing processes will help you protect your customers, your employees and your business.

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Tips for Making the Best-Ever Batch of Caramel Popcorn

August may have just begun, but when you see school supplies fill the store aisles, you know fall is just around the corner.

There's something warm and comforting about caramel corn in the fall--but sticky, clumpy caramel corn is no fun at all! After reading this week's quick tip, you will never want to make caramel corn without this ingredient!

If your caramel corn sticks together and becomes difficult to separate, adding lecithin will help. Randy Hofberger of R&D Consultants advises mixing lecithin with a little oil and adding this mixture at the end of your caramel corn recipe. This will help the caramel spread apart easier and save you the hassle of manually pulling it apart. 

Allergy Alert! 

It is advised that individuals with soy allergies do not consume products that contain lecithin. Although lecithin is a byproduct of soy, there is always a chance soy protein will find its way into lecithin. Lecithin derived from sunflower or canola are more allergy-friendly alternatives to soy. 

Don’t cry over spilled lecithin.

Resist the urge to clean spilled lecithin with a damp cloth or spray cleaner, which will cause it to gum-up and make it worse. Instead, cover the spill with sugar and it will clean right up without a sweat.

New Flavor Inspiration

Once you’ve perfected your caramel popcorn recipe, consider experimenting with different flavors and ingredients to take your corn to the next level. Here’s some inspiration for the upcoming fall season.

Bourbon Caramel

Equally suited as a tailgate party snack or a jolly holiday treat, bourbon caramel corn will keep ‘em coming back for more.

Dulce de Leche

Dulce de leche is a South American delicacy made with slow-cooked milk and sugar. A natural fit for caramel corn, it offers a rich, creamy and more complex flavor for your caramel popcorn.

Pumpkin Spice

Is it even fall without pumpkin spice? We don’t think so!

In the past, Starbucks has released their pumpkin spice latte as early as the end of August. Get ready for the craze by introducing pumpkin spice caramel corn for this fall season.

Here’s to making your best batches of caramel corn ever and to a sweet fall season!

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Throwback Tip #50: Swab Test for Cleanliness

Most candy makers would probably agree it’s easier to keep a super-clean facility when the bows and boxes aren’t flying during the holiday season. However, we all know food safety is just as important during your off season as it is during the peak of the holidays.

One way to stay on top of this anytime of the year is to regularly swab test the cleanliness of your facility. We don’t mean a visual test where you look to see if the area appears clean, but an actual scientific test for allergens, sanitation and etc.

Sample test kits are available to perform on-site tests of a variety of areas in your production zone. Neogen Corporation is an example of a member-recommended company that supplies sample test kits. Using their food allergen tests you can do on-site tests to detect a target allergen (see list of allergens here) in ingredients, liquids, clean-in-place rinses, finished foods and on environmental surfaces. They also have sanitation tests to detect the amount of food residue and other organic matter, such as bacteria, yeast and mold, that may remain after cleaning.

Neogen is just one example of the many organizations that offer this type of product, however, through more online research you may find another source that better suits your needs. Another option would be to send swabs to a lab to be more thoroughly tested. Along with many others that provide this service Merieux NutriSciences, formerly Silliker Labs who presented at a past RCI conference, provides food testing and sanitation information for confectioners and food facilities.

Ensuring the treats created at your facility are not only delicious, but also safe for consumption is an essential part of good manufacturing processes. RCI Members: Access additional materials on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) by logging in to the member side of the RCI website. 

Do you have other tips for maintaining a clean food facility in the midst of your busiest production schedules? Please share with our blog community in the comments below!

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Tip #252: Adapt Nut Butters to Any Candy Recipe

Nut butter adds a healthy halo and rich toasted notes to chocolates and confections and with the prevalence of peanut allergies, many food manufacturers are exploring options beyond the mainstream.  

In this excerpt taken from an article published in RCI’s Kettle Talk magazine, discover three popular nut butters to enhance your product line and how to adapt any recipe to highlight these nutrient-dense tree nuts (RCI members: login to read full article).

There are many ways to use nut butters in modern and traditional confectionery. Use them in any recipe where a pronounced nut taste is desired, such as truffles, fudges or as a substitute for peanut butter. When combined with dairy butter, their nutty flavor is enhanced. And for vegetarian and vegan recipes, nut butters are an ideal way to mirror some of the richness of dairy butter while providing the healthfulness of a whole food.

  

When adapting a formula to incorporate nut butter, here are a couple points to keep in mind:

Other considerations

The standard of identity for peanut butter permits the addition of stabilizers as well as salt and sugar. Stabilizers help control the flow of any liquid fat in the peanut butter. Most natural nut butters contain neither stabilizers nor sweeteners. Because oil migration can be a concern when using nut butter confectioners may want to pay special attention to chocolate confections that are not eaten within a few weeks of production.

3 Methods to Avoid Oil Migration When Using Nut Butter:

• "When working with nut butters in a chocolate piece, select a well-refined chocolate to stem oil flow migration," recommends Julie Mates, Specialties R&D Manager, Barry Callebaut U.S.A. The finer particles in the chocolate will slow oil migration, she explains.
•  A thicker coating on enrobed chocolate also acts as an oil barrier.
• When making a chocolate center with nut butter consider adding finely ground nuts, nut flour or flaked feuillantine wafers to the mixture. Not only do these ingredients contribute flavor and texture, they also help mitigate the oil migration effect.

Try something unexpected by incorporating these trendy tree nuts into your favorite confections.

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Sources:

Martel, Priscilla. “Better with Nut Butter: New Frontiers Using Nut Butters With Chocolate.” Kettle Talk July / August / September 2016: 15-16.

American Almond Products Company.  All About Nut Butters & Nut Pastes.

Tip # 226: 5 Equipment Cleaning Tips for Candy Makers

As of yesterday, March 20, spring has officially arrived! This means warmer weather, longer daylight hours, blooming flowers and spring cleaning! Chances are you are least excited about the latter, so we’ve got some helpful cleaning tips for candy manufacturers taken from an article published in the January 2004 issue of The Manufacturing Confectioner and written by Susan Hough of Masterson Company.

Use Soap and Water

The most effective way to clean equipment is with soap and water. It is a real search and destroy mission that should not be taken lightly. Just scraping or using water alone will not be effective.

Oil Flushes for Oil-Based Products

If you are working with an all-oil-based product (and no sugars to help dissolve the product away), you may have to start with several oil flushes first before introducing water or chemicals. Without the oil flushes, the chemicals can extract out the oil, leaving behind solid masses cemented to the pipes or agitators of your vessel. If you absolutely cannot get water near your systems and have a completely dry process, you may want to try dry CO2 pellet cleaning.

Checklists Are a Must

Checklists for the system, identifying all the equipment requiring dismantling, cleaning and inspection, are a must. There are several ways of verifying the effectiveness of the cleanup. A good verification doesn’t trust just one verification method, but is successful through the collective use of several.

Use Your Senses

Especially when it comes to cleaning equipment exposed to allergens, it is important to visually inspect and use your sense of smell. As mentioned earlier, you need to open up and visually inspect every area possible. The sense of smell can be useful in the case of allergens such as peanuts. Even in very minute amounts, the smell of the peanut can be a telltale sign of a hidden cleaning issue. A further verification uses some of the more quantative tests available today. You could utilize ATP testers (especially if a particular allergenic protein has no test kit yet available). It should be noted that this method will not tell you how much PPM residue you have, and is not as effective on proteins that have been heat treated.

Protein Test Kits

Test kits for peanuts approved by the AOAC Research Institute as performance tested include Biokits Peanut Assay; Ridascreen Fast Peanut; and Veratox for Peanut. These kits can be used to test the actual product, do swabs of your equipment or test the rinse water off a system after cleaning. It should be noted that although many of them are relatively easy, they can take 45 to 60 minutes to complete.

After cleaning is completed, the system should be additionally inspected and signed off by a management person to verify the cleanup. The more eyes (and noses) involved, the less chance something will be missed.

Cleaning large equipment can be a daunting task. With proper cleaning methods and verification, you can rest assured you're following Good Manufacturing Processes (GMPs) and your equipment is ready for the spring season! Happy Cleaning!

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Tip #179: Get To Know Gluten

“Do your chocolates contain gluten?”

Chances are you’ve heard this question at least once or twice in the last year, if not in the last week.

January 13 is National Gluten-Free Day and if you’re not familiar with gluten, it may be time to get acquainted.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. So sure, chocolate should be completely free of gluten. Before making any claims, do your homework.

Start by contacting your chocolate supplier, because even pure chocolate can contain gluten if processed on the same equipment as wheat. Next, look for gluten-containing ingredients in your chocolates. Common offenders are the products of wheat (cookies) or barley malt (a popular sweetener used in candy).

It is estimated celiac disease affects 1 in 100 people worldwide (Celiac DiseaseFoundation) and even more have gluten sensitivity, a wheat allergy or they are simply trying to avoid gluten for one reason or another. Regardless of their reason, the gluten-free segment has experienced staggering sales growth since the Food and Drug Administration released regulations for gluten-free labeling in 2013.

The Food and Drug Administration requires manufacturers to meet specific standards before labeling their products as gluten free by having their products tested in addition to following other manufacturing and ingredient sourcing protocols.

As an alternative, you may use the phrase “no gluten ingredients,” instead of “gluten free.” This lets the consumer know that there are no gluten ingredients in the product without full certainty gluten cross-contamination hasn’t occurred.

Regardless of your approach, consider ways to inform gluten-leary customers of products available for them. You may identify products that do not contain gluten with a special tag or even create a small display in your store. RCI member, See’s Candies of San Francisco, offers an allergen information list noting which of their candies are unsafe for customers with common food allergies such as nuts, eggs, soy, dairy and gluten. 

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