Special Focus - Chocolate Panning - Art or Science - Confectionery Production

24/8/23, 07:38 Special focus: Chocolate panning: Art or science?
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panning: Art or science?
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24/8/23, 07:38 Special focus: Chocolate panning: Art or science? - Confectionery Production
Posted: 19 April 2023
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& chocolate,
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Related people: Andy

Baxendal
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Confectionery Production editorial board member Andy Baxendale
offers a key focus on the merits of small scale panning over automated
large scale mass production.
The definition of chocolate panning is “the use of a rotating drum to

cover centres with a fat based coating” – in this case either Chocolate
(be it milk, white or dark) or compound coatings based on palm oil –
yoghurt varieties have been a popular choice for several years, either
containing yoghurt powder or just flavoured.
The operator when first introduced to the concept can become
overwhelmed by the amount of knowledge and experience that is
required to produce consistent products with the same quality and
finish every time – indeed to the first time panner it can appear that a
certain amount of “black magic” is required to be able to fulfil their
requirements ! However, it is not so and with patience, knowledge and
a good tutor perfect results can be achieved time after time.
Coatings must be carefully chosen for application as well as taste – the
fat content and melting point must be suitable to allow the coating to
engross smoothly, but with a melting point that sets without being
lumpy (setting too fast) or rubbing off the centres (not setting fast
enough). Taste is very much a subjective matter, be it a luxurious and
rich high cocoa solids or a creamy white chocolate – all chocolates
should be picked to compliment the centres they are being used to
coat.
Temperature of the conditioned air supply must be considered in order

to set the coating correctly – if alternative fats are used in place of
cocoa butter in the coating, temperatures may need to be varied to
compensate accordingly. 12 – 14 degrees centigrade is perfect for most
chocolates – if a compound coating is used slightly lower is preferable.
Humidity should be set at 45% RH or less to achieve best results both
in coating and subsequent polishing.
When choosing centres, it is important to take note of the shape,

moisture content if applicable for fruit and also the fat content of nut
based products. A coat of gum Arabic glaze followed by a dusting of
icing sugar can be invaluable to seal the centres where necessary and
render them fit to be coated. Rancidity in nuts can be an issue towards
the end of shelf life – again the initial barrier applied will prevent this
to some extent. If centres are too soft and malleable, coating is
possible, however without care and attention, as the weight increases
the centres tend to distort thus causing the chocolate to crack and fall
off – once this happens the product is extremely hard to polish and
also looks messy. Examples of centres that will distort are
marshmallows and fresh crop raisins where they haven’t dried out and
become firm enough to pan.
Most shapes can be successfully panned by a combination of

observation, manipulation of the air flow and correct application of the
coating – from the thinnest flake or crisp type product to large brazils
and through to square cubes of ginger and back to tiny spheres of

cereal. Although daunting at first they are all possible to a high
standard of finish.
Flavouring addition
In addition to the centre / coating combination, it is possible to
enhance the confections by the addition of flavourings into the
chocolate whilst panning. If using liquid flavours it is important to
understand the moisture content of the flavouring, as too much will
cause the chocolate to thicken and become unworkable. Oil based
citrus flavours combine perfectly with the chocolate, and powdered
flavours layered in between chocolate additions work extremely well
and are very effective. Other enhancements which may be added whilst
engrossing are salt and citric acid, although if the latter is required it is
better to adhere it to the centre (normally some type of fruit) before

commencing the addition of chocolate.
Many problems can be encountered during the chocolate panning

process right through the process from start to finish – the skilful
panner will be able to recognise them and correct them “on the hoof”.
Too much chocolate applied too quickly at the start will at best result
in lots of doubles / multiple products and at worst one large
agglomeration of all the centres in the pan. Doubles and multiples can
be separated which is very time consuming and inefficient, however
once the total agglomeration has taken place it is virtually
irretrievable.
If too much air is used at the start, the product will become too cool,
resulting in very lumpy centres – the best remedy is to turn off the air
and apply limited amounts of chocolate to try and smooth out the
lumps, if the problem occurs at the end of the process then a heat gun
can be utilised to try and remedy the problem, however it is preferable
to adjust the air to avoid lumps in the first place. If the products are
allowed to run warm then the coating will rub off on the inside of the
pan leaving exposed areas of centre – this is very noticeable on
products with sharp ends like almonds. Similar problems to the above
can be experienced if the coating is either too hot or too cold – ideal
coating temperature is between 40 – 45 degrees centigrade.
Having achieved a nice smooth finish, the final stage is polishing. If

possible, products should be allowed to set thoroughly, although with
the correct use of the air in engrossing, it is possible to polish
immediately following the coating stage.Temperature and humidity is
crucial to obtain nice shiny pieces – 45%RH or less and 12 – 14 degrees
centigrade are ideal. If polishing is taking a long time or the products
polish then lose their shine again the first check must be the humidity
of the air supply – 9 times out of 10 it will have gone up for some
reason and will be affecting the polishing process.
Standard gum Arabic polishes are perfect for this – there are several
available, followed by a glaze – shellac if there are no vegan
requirements, or zein maize protein if there are. These are applied after
polishing to seal the product and protect it from moisture ingress
which can affect the sheen. Normal application of the gum Arabic to
achieve a high gloss is three coats with drying in between each one. If
a different finish is preferable, one coat of polish followed by cocoa
dusting gives an extremely palatable and luxurious finish.
Pans for polishing can be used with or without fins, and also clean or
with a chocolate coating – they must not however be used dirty as this
can causing scratching and spoil the hard work which has gone into
engrossing the centres. If the polish is applied and then dried too
quickly a rough surface can ensue which is hard to correct, similarly if
the polish is over applied undesirable results are often seen.
In conclusion and in answer to the question in the title, Panning is very

much a combination of science and art. Science from the knowledge
that the operator must possess in order to replicate perfect products
every time, but art in the way that they express themselves in their
products, whether it be from the combination of the centres and
coating, the addition of flavours to enhance, the finish achieved or
better still a combination of all aspects. – For information, help or
training on panning contact Andy @thesweetconsultant.com
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24/8/23, 07:38 Special focus: Chocolate panning: Art or science?

MAGAZINE  NEWS  FEATURES  END PRODUCT NEWS CONFERENCE

WHITE PAPERS  EVENTS  MEDIA KIT  SUBSCRIBE  DIRECTORY CONTACT

Business news Cocoa & chocolate Ingredients New products Packaging

Processing Regulatory Sustainability

Special focus: Chocolate

Posted: 19 April 2023

Related core topics:

Related people: Andy

Share this page

The definition of chocolate panning is “the use of a rotating drum to

Temperature of the conditioned air supply must be considered in order

When choosing centres, it is important to take note of the shape,

Most shapes can be successfully panned by a combination of

and through to square cubes of ginger and back to tiny spheres of

better to adhere it to the centre (normally some type of fruit) before

Many problems can be encountered during the chocolate panning

Having achieved a nice smooth finish, the final stage is polishing. If

In conclusion and in answer to the question in the title, Panning is very

World Confectionery Special focus: Divine The perfect family

Mail (will not be published) (required)

THU World Confectionery Conference

TUE Gulfood Manufacturing

Three valuable and action-packed days of sourcing,

TUE ISM Middle East

TUE Private Label Middle East

LINKS CORE TOPICS

Bell Home Bell Publishing Ltd

chains event coronavirus

biscuits ice cream

flavours sweets health

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