Cookie Production Process Overview
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ScribdTranslationsCookie Production Process Overview
Translated by
ScribdTranslationsPRODUCTION PROCESS
RECEIPT OF SUPPLIES
In this first stage of the process, the necessary raw materials are received for the
preparation of the cookies. The majority ingredients depending on the volume
requested are usually supplied in bulk (tankers, tanks, containers, big bags, etc.)
while the minor ingredients are delivered in drums, bags or small ones
Containers. Packaging and wrapping materials are received in boxes, bags, or other types.
of adequately protected containers.
The water coming from the public network can be used directly in the process or be
stored and receive treatment or conditioning. In any case, always
its potability must be guaranteed.
STORAGE OF RAW MATERIALS
The main ingredients (for example, flours, sugar, glucose syrups and
fructose, oils, etc.) can be stored in outdoor or indoor silos and storage facilities.
Also in drums or in big bags located in the general warehouse, either at
ambient temperature or under controlled temperature and humidity conditions. In the case
of fats, it is common to store them in tempered tanks.
The minority packaged and non-perishable ingredients are located in the warehouses.
general raw materials, at room temperature or under temperature conditions and
controlled humidity.
Ingredients that require refrigeration for preservation must be stored in cold rooms.
refrigerated, at temperatures between 0.5°C and 8°C. In the case of egg products
pasteurized and other ingredients with high microbiological risk, the temperatures of
maintenance must be below 4º C.
An adequate rotation of the stored raw materials should be ensured, so that
the lots with the nearest expiration should be used first.
The primary packaging materials storage sector (plastic film rolls,
plastic trays, etc., that will be in contact with the finished cookies) and the
secondary and tertiary packaging materials (labels, cardboard, pallets, etc.) must be
separated from the sector of raw materials and finished products storage.
Any product, substance, merchandise, or equipment considered toxic, dangerous or
incompatible with food (chemical reagents, cleaning and disinfection products,
lubricants, etc.) must be stored in a sufficiently separated and specially
designed to prevent accidental contamination.
FORMULATION STAGE
Generally, the main ingredients (flour, sugars, syrups, oils, and fats,
water) is automatically dosed using volumetric or gravimetric meters
continuous. The rest of the raw materials are weighed and added to the mixer or to the
manual or semi-automatic dough mixer, weighing them on scales or balances
electronics that provide the appropriate precision and accuracy.
In order to facilitate their homogeneous dispersion before being incorporated into
the kneader or to the mixers, the minor ingredients are dissolved or dispersed
on a medium (water, flour, sugar, oil, etc.).
PREPARATIONS
They understand the operations of preparation and/or mixing of certain intermediate products.
that will be used in later stages of the production process. This is:
The preparation and maintenance at a temperature below 4º C of the preparation for
golden the base of ovoproducts or dairy derivatives before baking the cookies.
The tempering of fats and oils prior to their addition to the mixer.
The pre-mixing of lecithin in fats or oils for use in certain
specialties.
The tempering of fats and oils for the surface coating of oil
vegetable after baking some varieties of cookies.
After the exit of the intermediate products from the mixer (or from the buffer tank of
storage), a sieve with an appropriate mesh size is usually intercalated as a barrier.
possible foreign bodies that may have been accidentally incorporated.
Kneading and preparation of the dough
Once the ingredients have been added to the mixer, according to the defined order in the
the procedure, the kneading begins.
The mixing axis can be in the shape of a tree, a screw, a paddle, etc. The objective of
this phase is to achieve the appropriate distribution of the ingredients of the formulation,
increase the water absorption by the dough and develop appropriate conditions
rheological. As a result, a uniform, consistent, extensible mass is obtained and with
certain elasticity (depending on the desired type of cookies).
In the formulation of the recipe, it is common to consider that during kneading, ingredients are incorporated
completely automated mass cuts coming from the roller or from the
die cutter, belonging to the same batch that is being processed.
In some cases, two consecutive kneading cycles are performed, separated by a stage.
of resting the dough in the equipment. Some ingredients (for example, nuts, the
chocolate, raisins, etc.) are added to the dough during the second kneading.
After the kneading stage, and depending on the variety of cookie, the dough can continue
different operations: dosing and die-cutting on molds or trays, dosing and
cut with thread, coextruded, or well, laminated and cut.
An alternative to kneading is mixing the ingredients of the formulation until obtaining
a uniform mass with appropriate viscosity, which will be kept in a reservoir until
its dosing on the cooking plates.
To facilitate browning during cooking, a superficial layer can be applied to the pieces.
of ovoproducts or dairy derivatives before they enter the oven.
COOKING AND POST-TREATMENTS
The cooking is done in continuous ovens, discontinuous ovens, or on baking sheets.
Heat transmission can occur through conduction, convection, radiation, microwaves
or radiofrequency. The mass is subjected to temperatures of around 200º C, for a
time that can vary between 5 and 15 minutes depending on the type of cookie being used
elaborate. Adjusted the thermal power and the baking time (by programming
of the conveyor belt speed in the case of using continuous ovens;
residence times in batch furnaces; or rotation speed on the plates
rotating cooking), a product is obtained with the texture, color, flavor, and aromas
desired.
Baking eliminates the pathogenic vegetative flora present in the raw dough.
After cooking, the product must be cooled, either by conveyor belt to a
speed determined by the distance traveled and the time required to reach the
final temperature; for the maintenance of the cars in a properly designated room
conditioned and for the necessary time, or by passage through a tunnel
cooling with counterflow filtered air circulation.
The cooling operation is important to avoid packaging hot product, since
otherwise condensation can occur, leading to an increase in the
cookie humidity.
After cooling, a visual control (or by artificial vision) is usually performed to
discard the pieces that show breakages, geometric deformities, or coloration outside of
parameters.
The intermediate products that are added after baking must be made at
starting from microbiologically good quality raw materials and being prepared with utmost care
hygiene conditions.
It should be clarified that the low moisture content of these products is a factor that
prevents microbial growth.
PACKAGING, CONDITIONING, STORAGE AND SHIPPING
The primary packaging provides protection to the product against external agents. They are usually
to use complex thermoset laminates that allow for hermetic packaging
final product and act as barriers that prolong its shelf life, or other materials
suitable for contact with food. In general, a material that acts as
vapor barrier.
It is preferable that the metal detection stage takes place after primary packaging.
when there are no longer possibilities for metal bodies to be incorporated into the product. In
if aluminum-coated material is used, detection must be carried out just before the
packaging
The secondary packaging (for example, the cardboard box) typically constitutes the unit of
sale to the consumer (at times, the primary packaging directly fulfills this function) and
provides mechanical protection to the content. In addition to being the support where it is marked.
lot number and expiration date, includes the rest of the declarations
mandatory and other voluntary information.
The tertiary packaging (from the conditioning of sales units in cardboard boxes or
another type of containers, up to palletizing and labeling) corresponds to the
formation of the logistics unit, leaving the merchandise ready for storage and
posterior expedition.
The finished product is stored in suitable premises, at room temperature (or in
controlled temperature conditions, especially when it comes to coated products
chocolate), protected from sources of moisture, strange odors and away from products
incompatibles and other sources of pollution.
In the expedition, the merchandise is placed correctly in the transport vehicle.
protecting it from knocks and sudden movements that may damage it. The conditions
environmental conditions must be the same as those required for their storage: the boxes of the
vehicles must be clean, without strange odors, or the presence of toxic products or
incompatible with the food product.