Confectionery Processing
Chocolate, candies, confections of all sorts
Confectionery Processing
Whether you are a budding Willy Wonka or a global manufacturer of quality confectionery Vikan can help maintain the quality and safety of your products.
Chocolate, candies, jellies, gums, sherbets, sweets, toffees, fudge, and liquorice (a Danish favorite!) – whatever sweet treats you manufacture we know that maintaining the quality and safety of your products is key.
We also know that cleaning in a confectionary manufacturing site presents some unique challenges, and that’s where Vikan can help. We support some of the world’s largest confectionary manufactures by providing products and advice tailored to their needs.
Choosing the right cleaning method
The obvious solution to the removal of sticky, sugary, high-fat, and hard-set confectionery deposits would be to use hot water, detergents, and manual and/or CIP cleaning. However, if melted chocolate comes into contact with even a small amount of moisture its texture can change, causing it to seize or thicken and become unusable.
Consequently, for many years, chocolate manufacturers have minimised the use of water in their cleaning regimes. Additionally, the introduction of water to a production environment will aid the growth and spread of microbes, including harmful bacteria like Salmonella. Previously, the high sugar and fat content, and low water activity (Aw)of sugar confectionary were thought to minimise its microbial food safety risk.
However, over the last 15 years, high-profile cases involving the contamination of chocolate with Salmonella, and our improved understanding of how Salmonella can survive in low Aw foods, have impacted significantly on this product sector.
Read more about dry cleaning in this Vikan blog post.
Vikan are specialists in cleaning so whether you wet clean, dry clean, use controlled wet cleaning, or any combination of these, we can provide a comprehensive range of products and advice to help.
Suggested Products for Confectionery processing
The confectionery sector requires strict adherence to sanitation rules and regulations. Tools from Vikan are made out of tough, compliant materials such as polypropylene and stainless steel. Unlike foamed plastic or wooden tools, our high-quality products have smooth surfaces for easy clean-up and better hygiene.
Our tools are hygienically designed, which makes them easier to clean and less likely to harbour bacteria.
Vikan tools come in up to twelve colours, making them ideal for integration with colour-coded plans. Colour-coding helps prevent cross-contamination between raw and finished products, as well as keeping allergens separated.
Regardless of your operation’s size and complexity, Vikan has the tools and expertise to help you execute your colour-coding plans.
Foreign body control
Another challenge we know you face as an industry is the risk of foreign bodies in your product. One source of these foreign bodies can be the cleaning and food handling equipment you use. That’s why our quality products include a selected range of metal detectable, food contact compliant, food handling equipment, and our unique UST brushware (designed to minimise the risk of bristle loss). Many of our products are also available in a range of colours to aid visual detection of foreign bodies in the product.
Learn more at Vikan blog.
Consumer safety and choice
And finally, like most other food manufacturers, we know that you face additional challenges associated with the production of modified sugar confectionary products – to lower sugar levels and cater for vegans, vegetarians, lactose intolerant consumers etc., where control of product cross-contamination (including allergens) is essential in compliance of legal and labelling requirements. Again, Vikan are here to help with advice on colour-coded segregation of areas and equipment to aid this control and help ensure consumer safety and choice.
Learn more at Vikan blog.
