ation system at the customer’s production plant, including expert advice on the choice of instruments and their operational usage. “More manufacturers than you might think are, in reality, flying blind,” says Jørgen. “They don’t really have control of their chocolate because they lack the instruments and processes it takes to keep the product within the right specification. And that can be both costly and time-consuming.” After 30 years on the job, Jørgen enjoys the chance to share his knowhow in this area, helping customers to create a suitable chocolate specification that links closely to their needs – whether it’s for molded applications, enrobing or spraying, for example – and taking a bird’s eye view of every aspect from process design to training factory staff in the use of a viscometer. NEW APPROACHES Jørgen is keen to get manufacturers to try new approaches for their recipes and production practices. “When people are explaining their problems, I can often hear that there’s a basic mismatch within the company – one which they can’t see clearly because there is no proper system to expose, for example, that they may be taking an inappropriate chocolate out of the conche and trying to make it do something it really can’t do. And there’s plenty I can do to remedy such issues by adjusting their chocolate rheology.” Jørgen’s basic philosophy calls for the customer’s lab, production and forming functions to work closely together. For example, once the production department has finished producing a conche of chocolate, it should be reviewed by the lab or quality department to determine whether it is suited for the next process in line. Palsgaard’s contribution to the chocolate manufacturing industry revolves around its vegetablebased emulsifiers, so Jørgen’s own approach to meeting producer challenges relies heavily on getting flow properties right, for example. A good emulsifier can reduce interaction among particles by coating sugars so they are unable to absorb as much moisture and thus lead to a thickening in viscosity. Such emulsifiers are a powerful addition to the chocolate maker’s capabilities, allowing more accurate control over the various pa- rameters in chocolate production, and making it possible, for example, to reduce cocoa butter without affecting viscosity. “Over the past three to four years, we’ve developed our chocolate emulsifiers to become more efficient in delivering their functionality. For example, we’ve worked on the basic AMP (ammonium phosphatide, also known as emulsifier YN), patented in the early sixties by Cadbury as a way to remove the off-flavour in light chocolates, turning it into Palsgaard® AMP 4455, which can be added to a normal chocolate to make it more liquid. So, for example, instead of taking a normal molded chocolate then adding 2 to 3 percent cocoa butter to use the same chocolate for enrobing, you can just add AMP 4455 along with some of our PGPR 4150 and you’ll get the same effect. Over time, that’s quite a cost-saving.” This is exactly the sort of knowhow that can make application specialists like Jørgen Holdgaard worth their weight in gold for chocolate manufacturers of all applications and sizes, and in many different parts of the world. And Jørgen finds most are typically eager to discuss their challenges – and op- 2
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