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Program Schedule
PMCA's 66th Annual Production Conference
Lancaster County Convention Center
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
April 30 - May 2, 2012
Monday, April 30, 2012
Basics and Beyond Seminar:Hard Candy – The Sweet Blend of Art & Technology
Welcome and Introduction
Pamela Gesford, Senior Consultant, Knechtel, Inc.
The opening remarks will provide a basic overview of the topic and highlights of the program to follow.
Hard Candy: From Hard Crack to Glass Transition
Richard W. Hartel, Professor, Food Engineering, University of Wisconsin - Madison
According to the candy thermometer, hard candy is produced by boiling sugar syrup to the hard crack temperature, at about 300°F. At hard crack, water content is low and the sugar mass is extremely viscous. When cooled slightly, the candy mass forms a highly plastic state that can be easily formed into desirable shapes. Further cooling sets the piece into a sugar glass that, if protected from heat and humidity, retains its quality for years. Numerous chemical and physical changes occur in the sugar mass during the manufacturing process that influence finished product characteristics and quality. An overview of hard candy production including ingredients, processing, composition, flavor release, stability and shelf life as well as molecular composition and arrangement to characteristic attributes will be presented.
Filled, Laminated Hard Candy
Ivan Fabry, Consultant, IF Suesswarenberatung, Wuppertal/Germany
Laminated, filled hard candies are old fashioned specialities characterized by a crunchy texture which is obtained by repeated pulling and folding of a filled sugar roll on a hot table. Once the required crunchiness has been obtained, the laminated roll is wrapped in a thin envelope of high cooked sugar mass before transferring to a batch roller. In the batch roller the rope is formed to a cone, taken over by a rope sizer unit which delivers a continuous filled, laminated sugar rope into the die forming unit where the rope is cut and formed to individual candies by pressing plungers. During theis presentation key parameters, formulations and automatic methods will be explored.
Ribbon Candy and Cut Rock – How Do They Do It?
Jim McGovern, Consultant, JM Consulting
This presentation will explain the process of producing Ribbon Candy and Cut Rock; the parameters and methods. Using a U-Tube Ribbon Candy Video the assembly and subsequent hand forming demonstration will explain the Ribbon Candy process.
Aeration and Vacuum Expansion of Hard Confections
Dr. John Flanyak, Owner and President, Flanyak Scientific, LLC
The aeration and vacuum expansion of hard candy is a series of unique processes whereby a formulated sugar and corn syrup mix is thermally processed, subjected to mechanical aeration to achieve density modification, and finally, utilizes high vacuumization to modify the final texture. This presentation will cover and review the steps involved in hard candy processing, aeration methods and techniques, product formulations and vacuum expansion processing methods. Additionally, various kinds of equipment used for complete vacuumization to manufacture a value added, aerated and vacuum expanded hard confection will be discussed. Detailed equipment parameters that affect the overall efficiency of a vacuum aerate process will be highlighted.
Depositing Hard Candy
Martin Bond, Chief Engineer Confectionery and Tony Prange, Senior Process Engineer, Baker Perkins
This presentation will include the differences between deposited and die formed candy, the evolution of depositors, typical recipes and ingredient options as well as mould design, lift and cooling requirements. Several video segments and a live demonstration will help explain the various depositing considerations. |
Tuesday Morning, May 1, 2012
Session led by moderator Steve Genzoli, Vice President QA and R&D, Ghirardelli Chocolate Company
U.S. Sugar Production from Sugarcane
Kenneth Gravois, PhD – Sugarcane Specialist, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center
Sugarcane is grown and processed into raw sugar in Louisiana, Florida, Texas, and Hawaii. Afterwards, it is sent to sugar refineries where it is processed in refined sugar for use in food and pharmaceutical industries. This presentation will provide an overview of producing sugar from sugarcane and will examine field production, raw sugar processing and refining.
Producing Quality Sugar from Beet – From Field to Shelf
Paul Pfenninger – Vice President of Agriculture, Michigan Sugar Company
The process of extracting sugar from sugar beets starts with the production of a seed crop in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. The seed is processed and prepared for planting. In Michigan, the seed is planted in late March or early April. The plants are nurtured through the summer months until harvest arrives in September and runs through early November. Long term storage piles are then processed through the months of September – March. This presentation will walk the audience, step by step, through the process of producing quality sugar from sugar beets.
The NAFTA Sugar Complex: Current Situation and Near Term
Frank Jenkins, President, Jenkins Sugar Group, Inc.
Over the past two years, the North American Sugar Complex has experienced the highest prices seen in a generation. A look at the US and Mexican supply and demand, and at the current US sugar policy, suggests that high prices will prevail for the balance of 2012, but relief may be on the way.
The Genome of Theobroma Cacao, A New Tool for Accelerating Breeding and Research
Siela Maximova, Research Associate Professor, Department of Horticulture, The Pennsylvania State University
The recent publication of the cacao genome sequence has led to the identification of a large number of genes potentially involved in the mechanisms of disease resistance, plant flavonoid and oil biosynthesis pathways, and many other plant functions. Using a combination of approaches we have begun to investigate the functions of selected genes. This presentation will provide a summary of the most significant findings derived from sequencing the genome and the future applications of genomics research for development of new elite cacao varieties.
Cocoa Traceability and Certification
Ruth Moloney - Head of Development & Sustainability, Americas, Armajaro Trading, Inc.
Certification and traceability programs in cocoa have had a somewhat controversial history, involving aspects of child labor, low prices and political issues that have had a strong influence on the structure of the cocoa industry today. This paper highlights the history behind the sustainability movement in cocoa and some of the leading certification systems. It then outlines some traceability systems and alternatives to both certification and traceability and provides some advice on how to get started. |
Tuesday Afternoon, May 1, 2012
Lunch Buffett
Annual Meeting of Members
This brief 40 minute meeting of members will include the Annual Reports of Officers and the election of Directors. |
Tuesday Afternoon, May 1, 2012
Session led by moderator Rose Potts, Corporate Manager of Sensory and Product Guidance, Blommer Chocolate Company
Regulatory Update for the Confectionery Industry 2012
Alison Bodor, Sr. VP of Public Policy, National Confectioners Association
This presentation will provide an overview of regulatory and policy development impacting the confectionery industry. The latest FDA regulations implementing the Food Safety Modernization Act, which are expected to include FDA’s rules for preventive control plans in food processing operations, will be explained. Other changes to FDA regulations, such as new labeling requirements, will be discussed. More information on how the food industry and FDA are addressing front-of-pack labeling will be provided. Finally, information on other food policy hot topics such as the confectionery industry’s push for sugar reform within the upcoming Farm Bill and the FTC’s latest guidance on foods that are marketed to children will be shared.
Advancements in Panning: What’s NEW? And their JUSTIFICATION
Robert F. Boutin, President, Knechtel, Inc.
A lot has been said and written about panning, which is logical since it is one of the oldest and most popular product types sold. But sadly it is also one of the more complicated and expensive operations. This paper’s desire will be to show advancements, (computer pans, belt coaters, etc.), look at their purchase costs, discuss how these systems work and offer some real world JUSTIFICATIONS, (ROI calculations will be offered). Specific applications where these new systems could prove most beneficial, such as Hard Panning, Chocolate Panning and Soft Panning will be discussed. Operating videos and produced samples will be shown and distributed.
HOW HARD WORKING IS YOUR PACKAGING?
Simon Gainey, Co-founder & Owner, Competitive Innovation LLC
Thinking about opportunities for packaging innovation is not really about finding the next idea to execute but more importantly, it’s about understanding how your packaging is performing today (in the broadest sense of the word) and evaluating the white space with consumers, your customers, and your business. This presentation will take a look at some examples of HARD WORKING PACKAGING and how leading brand owners think about packaging beyond just a simple protection device.
Social Audits – Empowering Responsible Supply Chains
Bernie Giblin, Director, Global Operations, Sedex
Responsible procurement is good business. A social or ethical audit is a neutral, third party verifiable process to understand, to measure, to report on and to help improve an organization’s social and environmental performance. This presentation will address the definition of a social audit, why it’s important for all businesses, the social audit process as well as some of the challenges faced in this area by the confectionery industry.
PMCA Research Committee Update
Jeffrey Fine, Director of New Products and Technology, AAK USA
PMCA’s Research committee chair will provide an overview of the activities of the committee including current grant in aid Research projects.
PMCA Education and Learning Committee Update
Dennis Zak, Consultant, TMResource, LLC
PMCA’s Education and Learning committee chair will provide a report on the association’s short course program including highlights of recent courses and a look at future offerings. |
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Keynote Address Tuesday Evening, May 2, 2012
Give Into Candy Love
Cybele May, Candy Lover
Candy crosses all age groups and demographics as a simple pleasure. It’s also widely vilified as dangerous to dental health, our hearts, waistlines and even politics. It’s time to stop being defensive and fall in love with candy again through the eyes of a true candy lover. |
Wednesday Morning, May 2, 2012
Session led by moderator James Bew, Principal Scientist – International Research and Development, The Hershey Company
The Origin of Chocolate Aeration
Maurice Jeffery, Consultant, Jeffery Associates
The development of Aerated Chocolate dates back to the1930's. The original method utilized was called "Controlled Vacuum Expansion" of chocolate, which was the primary way to make this product until the 1970's. This was followed by the "Dissolved Gas" process, along with other methods developed around the same time. This presentation will cover the progression of chocolate aeration manufacturing methods leading to the one covered by the next speaker.
A Practical Guide to Chocolate Aeration
Jordana Swank - Associate Staff Scientist in Food Research and Discovery, The Hershey Company
Adding bubbles to chocolate imparts interesting textures, appearance and sensations for consumers to enjoy. The food manufacturer's challenge is to understand and control the complex technology utilized and the impact that gas addition has on normal chocolate. This presentation will review today's most widely used methods for creating a range of bubble sizes and textures in chocolate, including dissolved gas injection, microaeration and fat based crème aeration. Critical processing parameters and a trouble shooting guide will also be discussed.
Development of Water-in-Oil Emulsions for Application to Model Chocolate Products
Lauren B.A. Killian, Research Scientist, The Hershey Company
One proposed method for the formation of heat resistant chocolate is the development of a sugar skeleton through the incorporation of water. This presentation details PMCA funded research conducted at The Pennsylvania State University on the formation of water-in-oil emulsions using cross flow membrane emulsification. The emulsions were incorporated into a model chocolate system and the resulting heat resistant characteristics were examined. While the products do not represent a perfect solution to the issue of heat resistant chocolate, the presentation will detail possible applications of the research to real world use as well as further avenues to be explored.
Integrated Pest Management – Gateway to Safe and Quality Cocoa
Samuel B. Orisajo, PhD, Principal Research Officer, Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria
The concern of every confectioner is to have access to safe and quality cocoa. This presentation explores and explains, with illustrations, the basic principles of Integrated Pest Management (PMI) as the key to a long term, sustainable and environmentally-friendly cacao cultivation that will result in an adequate supply of quality cocoa. |
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Agriculture Investment in Cote d'Ivoire
Dr. Coulibaly Nouhoun, representative of the minister of agriculture, Ivory Coast
This presentation will describe the challenges that are presented to the producing country, other producing countries and the user. A look at how the Ivory Coast became the biggest supplier of cocoa and what that means for their population will be explored. |
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