Produção de achocolatado em pó instantâneo

Abstract

In recent times, consumer interest in ready-to-eat products has been growing, which has encouraged industries to develop healthier products and improve their formulations to meet this demand. Due to its sensory characteristics and practicality, chocolate powder is one of the fastest growing categories of dairy products in the world, generating new consumer trends and being well accepted by consumers looking for a quick, tasty and nutritious food. In view of this, the objective of this work is to study the mechanisms involved in the agglomeration and production process of chocolate powder. The work methodology will involve the description of the processes of preparation of agglomerated chocolate powder, the performance of the mass and energy balances involved in the process, the development of the industrial layout, the economic viability and the preparation of the label and the nutritional information of the product. The mass balance analysis allowed us to determine that the proposed chocolate powder production process is capable of generating 1,800 300-gram units every 60 minutes, with an average energy consumption of 82,003.43 kJ. The innovative formulation, with a higher cocoa content and lower sugar content, makes the product an attractive option for the market, meeting the demands of increasingly demanding consumers regarding the nutritional quality of food. However, additional studies are necessary to optimize the process and expand the product's application possibilities.