This year, for the first time, Choco Tec congress did not take place as usual in the Congress Center Cologne North, but as a digital event of the web seminar series “Choco Tec – Whistleblower”. Recently, the first block of the series ran under the motto “A firm eye on the future”.

The first presentation more than lived up to this motto: Dr Tobias Voigt from the Technical University of Munich (Brewing and Beverage Technology) presented the “ChoConnect” project, which provides information models for Weihenstephan standards via OPC UA. OPC standardizes access to machines, devices and other systems in the industrial environment and enables the exchange of data in a uniform and manufacturer-independent manner.

The lecturer used the presented ChoConnect project, in which machine manufacturers such as WDS, Sollich and Theegarten-Pactec are involved, to discuss how efficient chocolate production can be with the help of the IoT. One of the implemented use cases of the ChoConnect project was, for example, a decentralized plant control. Here, Dr Voigt used the example of a traditional chocolate moulding line which has to produce as consistently as possible to show how, by means of communication between the machines, the storage system can be relieved by the packaging plant increasing its speed. In the opposite case, the chocolate moulding system can detect at an early stage if, for example, faults occur in the packaging machine and accordingly reduce the production speed so that there are no disruptions in production.

The second presentation of the day dealt with a hot topic: Anselm Elles from AFC Risk & Crisis Consult used action plans to explain how “business continuity in times of pandemics” can be ensured. Targeted pandemic management is always a mix of emergency planning, hygiene and production planning, equalization of shifts and crossing routes, supplier and customer management and above all: communication.

Yannick Senn and Géraldine Gubser from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW started their presentation with an exciting question: can chocolate be produced in a laboratory? The original aim was to find out whether a cell culture from the laboratory can generate the same cocoa-type ingredients as the natural bean. Their conclusion: the investigated polyphenol content of the cell culture was very similar or slightly higher than the reference cocoa bean for the measured analytes epicatechin, procyanidin B2 and C1, and cinnamtannin A2.

The positive results of the study then led to the idea of producing a chocolate from the obtained cell mass by establishing a suspension culture and subsequent mass propagation in a well-mixed bioreactor. For this purpose, the biomass was ground, roasted and mixed with cocoa butter, sugar and lecithin, melted and moulded. The resulting chocolate was then given to the university’s sensory panel for tasting. Based on the positive feedback from the tasting (“fruity berry flavour"), the contributors will continue to pursue chocolate production in the lab and are planning new projects.

In his presentation, Prof. Dr Erich Windhab from ETH Zurich showed how precrystallization and the interaction between the heat transfer coefficient, temperature, solidification and mould detachment characteristics across the mould/product surfaces or in the product as well as mould position in the cooling tunnel, affects the crystallization behaviour. The measurements, made using the ETH’s Detachlog 4.0 inline measuring platform, formed the basis for aero- and thermodynamic optimization of chocolate moulds and design criteria of cooling tunnels to achieve a homogeneous, high-quality surface, texture and stability properties of chocolate products.

The study integrated chocolate confectionery tempering, moulding, cooling, demoulding and relating processing parameters to final product quality characteristics. The results of this study illustrate how, for example, an optimization of heat transfer of up to 20 % can be achieved by changing the mould design (limiting the lengths and height dimensions) or the flow directions in the cooling tunnel.

The winnowing of cocoa beans is an important process step for quality and yield management in chocolate production. Dr Tobias Lohmüller from Hamburg Dresdner Maschinenfabriken GmbH made a link to the first lecture of the day with his presentation “First Steps to Autonomous Winnowing” and used the process of cocoa winnowing to show how an intelligent online monitoring tool can be used to maximize the yield during winnowing and keep the expected nibs in shell quality.

In the last presentation of the day, Ynzo van Zanten, “chocolate evangelist” from Tony’s Chocolonely, was primarily concerned with one thing: the mission to enable cocoa farmers to earn a fair living. Meanwhile, Tony’s Chocolonely is already sold in large parts of Northern Europe and in the USA. In the Netherlands, it has already overtaken classic chocolate brands. The fact that growth and social entrepreneurship go well together was illustrated by Mr van Zanten in his remarks, which he concluded by saying: “Together we can make chocolate one hundred percent slavery free – just use fully traceable cocoa beans, pay a fair price, enter into long-term relationships and help improve productivity”.

Yet, the first “Whistleblower” web seminar offered not only highly interesting technical presentations, but also opportunities for an exchange. After each presentation, the participants had the opportunity to ask questions via audio conference or chat – which was also actively used. The participants could also use the discussion round at the end of the day to discuss topics with the lecturers and ask any remaining questions. The further blocks of the series are planned for 09.02., 14.04., 09.06. and 09.09.2021.