Abstract A roasted cocoa mass or blend is produced in a continuous process by crushing raw cocoa beans after dehulling to form a more or less liquid mass which is moved as a thin layer over and in contact with a smooth roasting surface heated to between 110°C and 150°C under atmospheric or reduced pressure. The thin layer liquid cocoa mass is moved over said roasting surface for not more than 12 minutes and preferably for a shorter time, whereupon it is rapidly cooled, preferably also in a thin layer form, to 80°C or less. The smooth surface is preferably the inner surface of a hollow cylinder, especially of a so called thin layer vaporizer. Prior and preferably also during the roasting the cocoa mass is subjected to a degassification in a flow of air or water vapor, preferably a counter-current flow. The first degassing takes place at a temperature of 95°C at the most and at a reduced pressure of 0.5 kg/cm 2 at the most. A homogenizing step may precede the roasting step. The so produced blend is then mixed with the other components of a chocolate recipe, whereby said other components are preferably comminuted to fine form, preferably final fine form, and the mixture is then, if necessary, comminuted and homogenized in a concurrent gas flow to form the finished chocolate mass.
In an apparatus for continuously producing a roasted cocoa composition, wherein the shells of raw cocoa beans are removed prior to crushing the beans into a relatively liquid cocoa mass, whereupon the liquid cocoa mass is roasted under pressure, the upper limit of which is atmospheric pressure, by means of indirect heat application for heating the cocoa mass to a maximum of 150°C, the improvement comprising a first substantially upright hollow cylinder, a second substantially upright hollow cylinder, means for supporting said second cylinder coaxially inside said first cylinder, separate inlet and outlet means for said first cylinder for flowing a heating medium through said first cylinder to heat the second cylinder on its outer surface, further separate inlet means at the top of said second cylinder for feeding said liquid cocoa mass into said second cylinder at the top thereof, whereby to apply the liquid cocoa mass to the inner surface of said second cylinder for gravitational downflow of the liquid cocoa mass along said inner surface of the second cylinder, revolving blade means supported in the second cylinder for thinly spreading the liquid cocoa mass onto the inner cylinder surface of the second cylinder, further separate outlet means for removing roasted cocoa mass from said second cylinder at the lower end thereof, cooling means connected to said further outlet means for instantly contacting the roasted cocoa mass with a cooling temperature, the upper limit of which is 80°C, third inlet means connected to the lower end of said second cylinder for admitting thereto an upwardly flowing gas or vapor stream which intimately contacts said thin layer downwardly flowing cocoa mass while it is being roasted and third outlet means connected to the top of said second cylinder for removing said gas or vapor stream from said second cylinder.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
300 words
In an apparatus for continuously producing a roasted cocoa composition, wherein the shells of raw cocoa beans are removed prior to crushing the beans into a relatively liquid cocoa mass, whereupon the liquid cocoa mass is roasted under pressure, the upper limit of which is atmospheric pressure, by means of indirect heat application for heating the cocoa mass to a maximum of 150°C, the improvement comprising a first substantially upright hollow cylinder, a second substantially upright hollow cylinder, means for supporting said second cylinder coaxially inside said first cylinder, separate inlet and outlet means for said first cylinder for flowing a heating medium through said first cylinder to heat the second cylinder on its outer surface, further separate inlet means at the top of said second cylinder for feeding said liquid cocoa mass into said second cylinder at the top thereof, whereby to apply the liquid cocoa mass to the inner surface of said second cylinder for gravitational downflow of the liquid cocoa mass along said inner surface of the second cylinder, revolving blade means supported in the second cylinder for thinly spreading the liquid cocoa mass onto the inner cylinder surface of the second cylinder, further separate outlet means for removing roasted cocoa mass from said second cylinder at the lower end thereof, cooling means connected to said further outlet means for instantly contacting the roasted cocoa mass with a cooling temperature, the upper limit of which is 80°C, third inlet means connected to the lower end of said second cylinder for admitting thereto an upwardly flowing gas or vapor stream which intimately contacts said thin layer downwardly flowing cocoa mass while it is being roasted and third outlet means connected to the top of said second cylinder for removing said gas or vapor stream from said second cylinder.