PROCESS, APPARATUS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR TEMPERING OF CHOCOLATE MASS

Process, apparatus and computer program for controlling continuous tempering of a fat-containing, crystallizable mass, such as chocolate mass, nougat mass or creme mass. The mass is being pumped continuously through a pre-cooling stage (4) in which it is cooled to a mass pre-cooling temperature above the crystal-creation temperature of the particular mass. Thereafter, the mass is pumped through a crystallization cooling stage (6) in which the mass is cooled so that crystals are created in the mass thereby having a mass outlet temperature.

When a set-point value for the mass outlet temperature is entered at the touch-screen of a HMI-unit (11), the crystallization amount to be achieved is adjusted as a crystal control value on a scale on the touch-screen of the HMI-unit (11), the HMI-unit (11) is calculating and transmitting a set-point value for the water temperature of the crystallization cooling stage (6), where after the HMI-unit (11) continuedly repeats; receiving from a mass outlet temperature PID-sensor (7) an outlet temperature value reflecting the actual mass outlet temperature, calculating deviation of the actual outlet temperature value from the set-point value for the mass outlet temperature, and is calculating and transmitting a set-point value for the water temperature of the pre-cooling stage (4). Hereby is provided a process, apparatus and computer program which is able to attain and provide the correct settings of a continuous tempering process in a production such as a chocolate production in a fast and uncomplicated manner. It means that alterations of few important production parameters can be done by a person which is unskilled in the complicated theory of chocolate behavior during tempering. An ordered adjustment given in by the personnel at a simple scale of numbers will then automatically be taken over by the process to achieve the desired result without further efforts.