The most popular and favorite confectionery product of not only children, but also adults is caramel. To date, experts have counted more than five hundred types of such delicacies that differ in taste, composition and form. What is the main raw material for the production of caramel? These confectionery products are made from pulp, the ingredients of which are a variety of additives and sugar.
The manufacture of sweets is carried out by universal or specialized confectionery factories, as well as small or large confectionery shops. The caramel production scheme consists of four successive stages. On the first of them, a mass is prepared, the components of which are sugar and molasses, agar and water, butter and milk, as well as a variety of flavoring additives.
Depending on what type of caramel is produced, the specific composition of the confectionery product is determined, as well as the mixing temperature of the ingredients, which should eventually acquire the necessary consistency.
Currently, mechanization and automation of caramel production are at the highest level. Manually in the food industry only expensive chocolates are made. In order to buy equipment for the production of caramel, you must familiarize yourself with all the existing offers. Manufacturers offer a wide selection of diverse machine models.
At the same time, you can purchase them for the release of various types of sweets. The caramel production line is capable of not only producing, but also packing sweets with jelly and fondant, dairy and fondant-dairy, as well as with other types of fillings. At the same time, the maximum productivity of modern equipment is up to 200 thousand products per minute.
Caramel Cooking
At the first stage of the technological process, it will be necessary to purchase a universal cooking vacuum apparatus. It is recommended to buy it for small enterprises. How to choose the best model? It is recommended to opt for models in the system of which there are two boilers, one of which is located above the other.
Initially, raw materials are included in the caramel recipe. It is loaded into the upper boiler and the mixer is turned on. The mixture is heated by steam, which has a pressure of five hundred to six hundred kPa. Mixing the prescription mass is carried out for four to eight minutes.
After the sugar has completely dissolved, the mixer is turned off. Then the mass is subjected to boiling with increasing temperature. When the caramel mass is heated to 140 degrees, the valve automatically turns on, unloading the mixture into the lower boiler. At the same time, the vacuum pump starts. After the cooking of the caramel mass is completed, the lower boiler overturns.
Cooling
Equipment for the production of caramel includes special tables. They are intended for cooling the mass coming from the cooking equipment. These tables are hollow metal plates. Inside this equipment, water circulates, the temperature of which is from eight to twelve degrees.
For larger production, cooling machines are used, through which a continuous flow of caramel mass passes. The choice of this type of equipment will depend on the size of the business.
Promink
In the caramel mass, all its components must be evenly distributed.To give sweets this quality and there is a hitch.
Sometimes this process is carried out manually. However, with the semi-mechanized method, a prominal machine is used. This unit has a table that rotates on a vertical axis. Above it is attached a rotating prominal gear roller. This machine is also equipped with a tipper made in the form of a ploughshare. The device will allow you to get a quality mass of a homogeneous consistency, so you should not save on its acquisition.
Stretching
Equipment for the production of caramel includes a pulling machine. After processing on this machine, the sweet mass becomes brittle and has a silky sheen. This is due to the penetration of caramel air. The sweet mixture loses not only its transparency, but also its density.
Getting a Caramel Loaf
The shapeless plastic mass should take the form of a calibrated tow with a certain cross section. For this, a caramel wrapping machine is used. The filling in the confectionery is pumped. To do this, a filler must be mounted on the caramel wrapping machine.
It is intended for the implementation of a metered supply of the filling inside the caramel loaf.
Candy Case Formation
Equipment for the production of caramel includes a roller machine. A layer of prepared candy mass enters this apparatus. The whole process consists of rolling a caramel mixture between the rollers on which the cells are engraved. There is also a relief pattern.
The location of the cells is provided in such a way that when the rollers are combined, a single molding chamber is formed, which the caramel mass fills. Molded products come out of the roller machine. They are interconnected only by thin jumpers from the caramel mixture. The molded sweet layer continues its movement along a special ribbon. After cooling, the lintels become brittle and easily detach from the sweets.
Cooling after housing formation
Caramel should be brought to a temperature of 35 degrees. Narrow conveyors are used to cool confectionery. This equipment is made of rubberized canvas, the width of which should not exceed ten centimeters. The caramel chain located on the conveyor is blown by air coming from the fans. The temperature of the finished product is subsequently reduced in closed-type devices (special cabinets).
Gloss
A protective layer is created on the surface of some types of caramel. It protects sweets from the negative effects of ambient air. Equipment for the production of caramel at the stage of glossing includes pelleting boilers. These devices are loaded with caramel having a temperature not exceeding forty degrees. After that, sweet products are poured with sugar syrup, which is poured in small portions every two to three minutes.
Gradually, a thin crust forms on the surface of the caramel. It is obtained from crystallized sugar. In the next step, molten gloss, which is a wax mixture, is added to the boiler. The technology requires a small amount of talc. The glossing process lasts from twenty-five to thirty minutes. It should be borne in mind that a steady and bright shine can only be obtained with humidity in the workshop of not more than sixty percent.
Packaging
The automation system for the production of caramel allows you to wrap finished products with colorful labels. There are wrapping machines for this. This equipment can pack caramel using various methods. The most commonly used method of twisting. Less commonly used is wrapping the labels with folds.It is not recommended to purchase such used equipment, as a poor-quality wrapper will become a powerful anti-advertisement for your business.
Important choice
In order to start the production of caramel, you will need to invest money in the purchase of a technological line. Buy equipment for the production of caramel, with a capacity of one hundred and fifty kilograms of products per hour, can be for 1.2 million rubles.
Cheaper lines for making dragees (round caramels) are offered cheaper. Equipment capable of producing up to one hundred kilograms of such sweets per hour can be purchased for two hundred - two hundred and fifty thousand rubles.
When choosing an automated line, you need to pay attention to its performance and a number of other characteristics that will contribute to obtaining a high-quality finished product. So, sweets should have a crystalline appearance, a pleasant taste, accurate and stable amount and placement of the filling.
An automated line for the production of caramel must be produced in accordance with the standards of confectionery and meet all the necessary sanitary requirements. An important factor when choosing equipment is the presence of software control and a touch screen, where all stages of the process will be reflected (pace, state of equipment, temperature, etc.)
Modern caramel production lines are equipped with frequency converters, with the help of which the sugar flow is regulated and the quality of the caramel mass is traced. You should also pay attention to this function when purchasing the device.
If you want the line to be able to simultaneously add and mix with the acid and the main pigment, then check for the presence of a high-quality mixer in your equipment. In the event that a pre-compiled business plan provides for the expansion of the range of products manufactured by the confectionery industry, then you should buy automated lines with the ability to change the template. Only then, finished products when using one line will have a diverse configuration. If it is possible to partially change the template, lollipops can be produced.
An automated line controlled by a computer system can easily replace up to twenty working people. In this case, the release of sweets will be from one hundred and fifty to six hundred kilograms in an hour. When buying equipment, pay attention to the material that was used for its production. The main parts of the installation must be made of stainless steel.
