Chocolate man – a different type of action hero Confectionery Application Manager Jørgen Holdgaard has spent more than 30 years helping chocolate manufacturers with their products – and he has seen, and successfully dealt with, more challenges than most. It’s hard to miss the enthusiasm in Jørgen Holdgaard’s voice when he starts talking about chocolate production. The Palsgaard application specialist has dedicated an entire career to supporting both artisanal producers and many of the world’s most well-known chocolate brands. HELICOPTER VIEW Over the years, Jørgen has developed and refined his own philosophy – and a comprehensive box of tricks – for dealing with the issues that typically disturb manufacturers’ ability to achieve consistent output quality. “I usually meet people who say that they are facing a problem with their chocolate,” says Jørgen. “More often than not, it’s related to their practical application. ‘We can’t get rid of the air bubbles,’ or ‘Sometimes, our product just won’t fit the mold properly’. And, while it can be tempting to jump in and start adjusting machinery and recipes, I always find it helps to lift up to a helicopter view, thinking about the problem from a rheological standpoint first.” “Often, the real underlying issue is that the manufacturer doesn’t have a measuring system that allows them to see, in a controllable, consistent way, whether the chocolate is within specification or outside it – and therefore it’s often quite beyond their control.” REGAINING CONTROL Jørgen’s first port of call, therefore, is usually to discuss the use of measurement instruments, such as viscometers, with his customers. Some are invited back to Palsgaard’s well-equipped chocolate labs to undergo training in how to measure rheology with these instruments. The session may be followed up by assistance with setting up a proper chocolate evalu- 1
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