Raising the bar for chocolate conching by combining precision control and sustainable operation
By Brith Isaksson, Global Food and Beverage Segment Manager, ABB
Scaling up chocolate production shouldn’ t mean longer cycle times and higher energy bills. Conching is a perfect example of a process that is essential for texture, taste and smoothness, while also being one of the most energy-hungry. For too long, many conches have run on fixed speeds and timers, with“ just-in-case” overprocessing of the chocolate built in. As a result, producers face hidden energy costs and compromised quality. Highefficiency motors and variable speed drives( VSDs) change that equation, turning conching into a controllable process that scales cleanly.
Why precision matters more at scale snowball into uneven viscosity and flavour notes that vary from batch to batch.
Scaling smoothly with retrofits
Retrofitting legacy conches with IE5‐class ultra-efficient motors and VSDs enables true load‐based control. Drives can follow recipespecific speed and torque profiles, adapting to changing rheology in real time.
With these retrofits, torque and power signatures become reliable proxies for when a batch is done. So, manufacturers can eliminate“ safety minutes” and stop on time, every time. At scale, those saved minutes translate into lower kWh per tonne and measurable reductions in Scope 2 emissions.
This is something SACMI Packaging & Chocolate experienced firsthand. By pairing ABB IE5 SynRM motors with ACS880 drives on 5 – 8 hour conches, they gained tighter load based control and higher partial load efficiency. Over a typical 7,000‐hour year on a mid‐sized conche, they cut energy use by 3 – 4 %, enough to avoid around 22 tonnes of CO 2 emissions annually. That’ s equivalent to the emissions from driving 56,000 miles in an average petrol car, all while maintaining the same premium chocolate quality their customers expect.
Control without compromise
More energy and time don’ t make better chocolate; smart retrofits and recipe‐aware motor‐drive systems do. With these tools, chocolate producers can raise the‘ bar’— without raising the bill.
www. abb. com / global / en / industries / food-beverage
With conching, many producers err on the side of caution and opt for longer conche times rather than risking integrity of texture or flavour. At pilot scale, an extra five minutes in the conche is a safety net. But at 50 batches a day, you pay for it twice: on the meter, and in consistency.
Scale multiplies small choices. In fixed-speed, timer-based conching, that cushion becomes routine overprocessing. Motors churn under partial load, heaters overshoot, and energy is consumed without any improvement in the final product to show for it. Meanwhile, small shifts in torque, speed or temperature can
32 FDPP- www. fdpp. co. uk