Flexible manufacturing of chocolates and innovation in the basic line of products

• Grant number: 99/12055-5
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: May 01, 2000
• End date: April 30, 2002
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Paulo Ignácio Fonseca de Almeida
• Grantee: Paulo Ignácio Fonseca de Almeida
• Company: Chocolates Finos Serrazul Ltda
• City: São Carlos

Abstract

The present project is the fruit of a partnership between the process development laboratories of the Chemical Engineering Department of UFSCar (Federal University of São Carlos), of the Work Project and of the Industrial Installations of the Production Engineering Department also from UFSCar along with the Cereals and Chocolate Technology Center - Cereal Chocotec, linked to Ital, and the Chocolates Finos Serrazul Ltda. During this second phase, the project develops simultaneously and inseparably in two directions: the management of the processes and the technology of the products. In the case of the management process, the intention is to direct efforts towards the preparation of the company’s management and production team, for the feasibility of the process of technological innovation and in the preparation and training of their people for a new manufacturing process to be introduced in a new specially designed industrial plant. From the technological point of view of the new products, the project aims to develop, in partnership with a team of researchers from the Cereal Chocotec Ital’s, new recipes: the traditional coverings of chocolate based on buttered cacao bean (white, bitter and milky) and four new types of recipe, denominated organic chocolate (with components produced without the use of harmful agricultural chemicals), chocolate plus (enriched chocolate), chocolate diet (without sugar) and chocolate without lactose. It is worth highlighting the fact that on the Brazilian market, and according to our knowledge, on the world market, as yet there are no recipes for organic, enriched or non-lactose chocolate. (AU)