NEO MAKİNA ve MÜHENDİSLİK A.Ş. builds turnkey cocoa and chocolate processing plants from cocoa bean to cocoa liquor, cocoa butter, cocoa powder and chocolate. Cleaning, roasting, winnowing, grinding, alkalisation, pressing, pulverising and chocolate line (conching, tempering, moulding) sections are engineered around energy recovery and butter yield. Our references include an integrated cocoa processing plant EPC project in Uganda alongside installations in Africa and Türkiye.
Process Flow
1. Cleaning and Roasting
- Cleaning: Screen, aspirator, destoner and magnet; moisture and size grading.
- Roasting: Uniform Maillard reaction at 120–150 °C in fluidized-bed or forced-convection drum roaster; bean or nib roasting option; recipe by flavour profile.
- Heat recovery: Energy in roaster exhaust is transferred by heat exchanger to fresh air or bean preheating; fuel consumption falls 30–40%.
- Sterilisation: Steam pre-treatment reduces microbial load.
2. Breaking and Winnowing
- Roasted beans are broken and shells separated by air stream; target shell content < 1.5%. Shells are used as boiler fuel.
3. Grinding: Cocoa Liquor
- Pre-grinding and fine grinding: Pin/disc mill followed by jacketed ball mill; fineness below 20 microns.
- Temperature control: Frictional heat managed by water/steam-jacketed mills; aromatic compounds preserved, viscosity optimised for pressing.
- Alkalisation (Dutching): Colour and flavour adjustment with potassium carbonate at nib or liquor stage; dedicated alkalisation reactor solutions.
4. Pressing: Cocoa Butter and Cake
- Conditioning: Press feed tanks and lines steam- or thermal-oil-jacketed, held at 90–100 °C; minimum viscosity for maximum butter release.
- Hydraulic press: 400–500 bar; residual fat in cake set to 10–12% (high-fat) or 20–22% (low-fat) target.
- Butter handling: Filtration, deodorisation (optional), block or liquid filling.
5. Pulverising: Cocoa Powder
- Cooled grinding: Pin mill operated with chilled air or nitrogen; fat in the cake stays solid, no clogging.
- Pneumatic conveying and stabilisation: Powder cooled to set its crystal structure; screening, packing.
6. Chocolate Line (Optional)
- Sugar milling, mixing, five-roll refiner or ball mill, conching, tempering, moulding/enrobing and cooling tunnel; couverture, milk, dark and filled products.
Typical Application Range
- Capacity: 500 kg/h – 5 t/h bean processing; chocolate line 250 kg/h – 2 t/h
- Products: cocoa liquor, cocoa butter, natural and alkalised cocoa powder, couverture and chocolate
- Materials: product-contact surfaces AISI 304/316; CIP-compatible hygienic design
- Standards: CE Machinery Directive, ATEX (cocoa powder), ISO 22000/HACCP compliant layout
Why NEO MAKİNA?
- Energy efficiency: As a boiler and heat-exchanger manufacturer, we design the plant to recover every waste-heat source, including roaster exhaust and press cooling heat.
- Maximum yield: Roasting, grinding and pressing are optimised by heat- and mass-transfer calculation for the highest butter and powder yield per bean.
- Customisation: Roasting recipes for different flavour profiles, alkalisation units, high/low-fat powder options.
- Reference: UDC Bundibugyo (Uganda) integrated cocoa processing plant EPC project.
- Single-source delivery: Feasibility, process design, equipment, installation, utilities (steam, cooling, compressed air), automation, commissioning and training.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a small bean-to-bar plant be built?
Yes. Compact 100–500 kg/day lines consist of roaster, breaker-winnower, melanger/ball mill, tempering and moulding units.
What are the butter and powder yields?
Dry beans give about 80% nibs; nibs give liquor with 47–50% fat; pressing yields 40–45% of the liquor as cocoa butter and 55–60% as cake (powder).
What is the project duration?
Engineering and manufacturing take 6–9 months, installation and commissioning 3–4 months; 12–15 months including logistics for overseas projects.
For cocoa plant design and a quotation based on your target product and capacity, contact us.