Confectionery Manufacture

CONFECTIONERY MANUFACTURE. Confectionery is a term of wide application, covering all food preparations of the nature of sweetmeats which have sugar as their principal constituent.

The manufacture of confectionery on a large scale has grown in half a century from an insignificant trade into an industry of inter national importance. This rapid advance is largely due to the re markable development of automatic machinery and to the greatly increased purchasing power of the people of the white nations.

In America, according to the 1925 report of the census bureau of the department of commerce, the establishments manufacturing confectionery to the extent of not less than $5,000 in value per an num numbered 1,931. The total value of the products of these es tablishments in that year was $379,081,441. In addition, some 6o establishments were engaged primarily in the manufacture of chocolate, cocoa and cocoa butter, the value of their products be ing $1o6,642,474. The value of the ice cream products in 1925 was $317,554,289, and of chewing gum, $47,838,150.

Great Britain produced in 1924 5,350,800cwts. of confectionerY, (including chocolate confectionery), the value being 131,197,000; of manufactured chocolate and cocoa the output was 1,171,400 cwts., valued at i8,479,00o. The third census of production, from which these figures were obtained, also showed that the out put of manufactured chocolate and confectionery exceeded that of 1907 (the time of the second census) by nearly 9o%, and that the increase in confectionery (including chocolate confectionery) was about 42%.

Chocolate and confectionery are manufactured on a large scale in nearly all the British Dominions. Other large producing coun tries are Switzerland (where milk chocolate is the specialty), Hol land, Germany, France and Belgium.

Sugar Boiling.

The principal ingredient of all confectionery is sucrose, the ordinary sugar of commerce, and the main process in confectionery manufacture is sugar boiling. A saturated solu tion of sugar and water can be boiled to a number of stages be tween 22o° F. and 36o° F., at each of which a definite change in the solution is produced. At 24o° F., for instance, the syrup, if agitated, becomes fondant, a mass of crystals so minute that they are not visible to the naked eye. At a further stage the syrup be comes of the consistency required for toffee, and finally it becomes a solution of brittle sugar used in hard boiled goods.

For hard boiled goods the latest method of manufacture involves the use of the automatic continuous cooker. The main part of this machine consists of a steam-jacketted vertical tube containing a hollow taper-spiral of gunmetal. The sugar solution is pumped into the machine at the top of the spiral and in a thin film is pro pelled downwards, at the same time being subjected to the action of the heat from the outer steam jacket. The syrup is in contact with the heat only from eight to ten seconds, but the heat is so intense and the quantity of syrup in contact with it so minute that the syrup issues from the spiral completely cooked arrd of per fectly transparent colour. The cooked syrup is poured on to a warm table, mixed with essence and colour as required, and passed through rollers to take the desired shape.

In order to obtain the beautiful and popular "satin" effects, the candy-pulling machine is used and this is necessary also for such goods as butter-creams and other light confections.

Toffee,

in which butter is added to the sugar syrup, may be made in a continuous cooker which has been adapted for the pur pose. It is also made in steam-jacketted mixing pans fitted with beaters or mixers which are driven at a high speed, the apparently immiscible ingredients thus being completely blended in a highly efficient manner. This is the basic principle also in the manu facture of caramels and similar goods.

Fondant.

Fondant is produced by cooking a sugar syrup, to which glucose is added, to 24o° F., at which point the syrup quickly dries on stirring and is easily powdered, the sugar crystal lizing spontaneously. If it is slowly cooled and there is an absence of movement, large crystals are formed; but if it is cooled and stirred rapidly the result is small crystals. The mass becomes dry because the water in the syrup is driven off entirely by the rapid evolution of heat as the sugar crystallizes. The best fondant is soft and smooth, and is produced by rapid cooling and heating.

The large scale method of manufacturing fondant is by the use of a complete automatic cream-boiling and fondant-making plant. The syrup is cooked as in the continuous cooker and passed to a gunmetal revolving water-cooled drum which cools it practically instantaneously, the film of cooled syrup being automatically scraped from the drum to fall into a continuous cream-beating machine. The latter, of which there are many types, rapidly beats the cream, to which flavouring and colouring are added, to a fine consistency.

When the fondant cream has been prepared, it is moulded for subsequent crystallizing (or dipping in sugar syrup) or for choco late dipping or covering. This moulding is done in starch and the whole process may be completed automatically and continuously. The operations of the plant employed cover the filling of trays with starch; the levelling of the trays; the printing in the starch with moulds; the depositing of fondar± cream (or other similar candy) into these imprints and the delivering of the trays filled with freshly cast goods for setting; the emptying of the set creams and the starch from the trays; the final cleaning of the creams, and their ejection for crystallizing or chocolate dipping.

The manufacture of lozenges requires the preparation of pow dered sugar with gelatine and other ingredients made into a dough which is compressed and stamped out by machine. Other confec tionery is made by one or other of the foregoing processes.

Chocolate Confectionery.

The constituents of chocolate are cocoa, sugar and cocoa butter. (See CHOCOLATE.) The chocolate covering of confectionery may be performed either by hand or by machine. If by hand, the liquid chocolate is placed in slightly heated shallow pans; the centres are thrown into the mass and quickly withdrawn with a special fork, coated. They are then placed on glazed papers ready for cooling. Sometimes the covering is done almost entirely by hand.

The most up-to-date plant for covering automatically is the enrober. The centres are fed into this machine on a travelling can vas belt. They pass over a bath of chocolate on a wire belt con veyor and receive a bottom coating. They then pass within an en closed case on a second wire belt conveyor and travel through a shower of liquid chocolate, which is made continuous by means of a pumping arrangement. The surplus chocolate is removed from the covered pieces by an air blast and a slight automatic tapping movement, and the goods, leaving the case, pass on to plaques on another travelling conveyor, where their tops are decorated by girl operatives. To secure the much desired gloss on chocolates rapid cooling is an essential, and accordingly the goods are taken on the travelling conveyor through a cooling chamber and emerge at the other end ready for packing. (C. T. J.) The basic principles of the manufacture of confectionery in the United States are practically the same as obtain in England, with the possible exception that more open-fire, pure sugar hard candy is used. Hard candy is manufactured by cooking over gas or coke stoves at 32o° to 34o° F. The gloss or satin-finish obtained is the result of manipulation on the part of the spinner. The spinner takes the finished batch after it has been pulled and, protected by heavy buckskin gloves, feeds it into machines, frictional heat being caused by rubbing. This brings a high gloss which is known as the finish to the surface of the candy.

The greatest volume of confectionery business in the United States is done in the lower prices, particularly the penny-goods class. Next in sales, is the 5 cent chocolate-covered bar. The third class of confectionery in volume of sales is the candy sold in bulk, principally in small candy and grocery stores and in the chain stores. The consumption of milk chocolate, both in solid-bar form and as a coating for candies, has been steadily increasing and in 1928 had reached approximately 40% of the total consumption of chocolate. The increase in the consumption of 5 and io cent bars, accentuated by the popularity created for this type of goods during and after the World War, has been somewhat responsible for a decrease in the sale of chocolates in bulk. This decrease has been offset, however, by the advance in the sale of finished, pack aged chocolates. The sale of 5 cent bars has so developed that some large manufacturers have devoted their entire plant facilities to one or more bars. In some instances it has been necessary to establish three or four factories, strategically situated across the continent, to supply the demand. The penny-goods business has similarly grown, so that many large manufacturing plants have given over their entire production to this particular type of goods.

Since 1918 there has also been developed on outlet for the "home-made" type of candy retailing at popular prices. This is made up in various types of goods bringing back a number of the older kinds such as were commonly used during the last genera tion. These pieces are large, have home-made characteristics and embody such items as caramels, nougats, hard candy, toffees, bon bons and hand-rolled, chocolate-dipped creams. These goods are offered by chain store organizations that often outfit their stores to resemble kitchens, with unique fixtures and window displays.

(P. F. C.)