Hydraulic presses have been used for over 200 years to perform a variety of different tasks. They are now a common feature of manufacturing production lines and in factories around the world and are used for tasks as varied as minting coins, stamping metal product parts, pressing pharmaceutical tablets and compacting and packaging food products.
One of the more interesting uses for a hydraulic press is in the production of fat-free cocoa powder. With worldwide consumers becoming more health conscious and concerned about the fat content of food products, the market for fat-free cocoa powder has risen considerably.
The Fat-Free Cocoa Powder Production Process
The production of fat-free cocoa powder using a hydraulic press is surprisingly simple. First of all, cleaned and roasted cocoa beans are brought into the factory and processed to remove the shells, leaving behind cocoa nibs.
The pure cocoa nibs are then milled into a thick paste, often called “cocoa liquor”, which consists of fine cocoa solids suspended in "cocoa butter", which is the fat contained in the cocoa bean. Using a hydraulic press, the cocoa liquor is then pressed to remove all of the cocoa butter leaving behind a solid mass called cocoa press cake. After being pulverized, this cocoa press cake is what’s known commercially as “cocoa powder”, and as all of the cocoa butter has been removed, it is now fat-free. The cocoa butter is a valuable by-product of cocoa powder production and is used in the production of chocolate and in cosmetic products such as soaps and moisturizing creams.
The Benefits of a Hydraulic Press in Fat-Free Cocoa Powder Production
A hydraulic press is a clean and energy efficient way of extracting the maximum amount of fat possible from the cocoa bean. After pressing the milled cocoa nibs, you are left with two clean and separate products that can undergo further processing or be sold on. The amount of fat remaining in the pressed cocoa cake can be precisely controlled by adjusting the amount of pressure the hydraulic press exerts leading to a high quality and valuable end product.
The Importance of Choosing a Quality Hydraulic Press Manufacturer
With the hydraulic press being such an important part of the fat-free cocoa powder production process, it’s important to choose a high quality press. Machinery Values are the USA distributor of
top quality hydraulic presses manufactured in North America and have over 40 years of experience in offering safe, reliable and top quality hydraulic presses to those looking to manufacture fat-free cocoa powder.
