Jose Azevedo is a food engineer with over 30 years of experience in the food industry, with a focus on biscuit manufacturing. He has worked for major food companies such as Nestle and Mondelēz and is currently a Snacks Product Development Manager at Kellogg Company. He has published numerous articles on biscuit manufacturing and is a frequent speaker at industry events and conferences.
In the presentation, Jose Azevedo discusses the various types of fillings that can be used in biscuits and their impact on the final product. He starts by explaining that fillings are an essential component of biscuits, adding flavor, texture, and nutritional value.
Azevedo then goes on to discuss the different types of fillings that can be used and splits them up into 2 main categories; water and fat-based fillings. He explains that each type of filling has its own unique properties, such as viscosity, texture, and shelf life, and these properties need to be taken into account when selecting a filling for a particular type of biscuit.
Later on, Azevedo touches on cream ingredients and discusses the reduction of total and SAFA fat contents in creams, if you’re interested in the specifics of fat reduction, you can always expand your knowledge by downloading the presentation.
The focus of his presentation was on Cream processing, especially on the SSHE cream process.
So, what is SSHE cream process? It’s a scraped surface heat exchanger, that can be used for crystalization of fat-based fillings. As Azevado explaines, initial models consisted of two units: SSHE (non-cooled unit) and Crystallizer (cooled unit).
It was first designed for margarine making in 1938. Back then, fats used to take up to 2 hours to crystalize. SSHE processing made stable crystals formation possible within 10 minutes, changing process from batch to continuous.
Currently, inline models for biscuit creams can enable:
- Heat transfer surface (inner and/or outer jacket) using glycol/water as cooling media
- Aeration with air, nitrogen or CO2
- Water or oil-based CIP system
- Direct connection from SSHE to RSM stencil and re-melting unit
Azevedo also provided a very valuable SSHE cream process scheme and listed the pros and cons of the SSHE process, which can be found inside the presentation.
In the presentation, he mentions the challenges involved in incorporating fillings into biscuits. He notes that the filling needs to be added at the correct time and temperature, and the biscuits need to be handled carefully to prevent the filling from leaking out. He also emphasizes the importance of hygiene and quality control in the filling production process, and provided some valuable tips for evaluating cream fillings and creams with texture.
He also highlights the importance of the compatibility between the filling and the biscuit. For example, a soft cream filling would not be suitable for a crunchy biscuit, as it would cause the biscuit to become soggy. Similarly, a hard chocolate filling would not be appropriate for a delicate biscuit, as it could cause it to break.
Azevedo’s presentation provides valuable insights into the selection, formulation, and incorporation of fillings in biscuits. It highlights the importance of considering the properties of the filling and the biscuit, as well as the challenges involved in the production process. Additionally, if you want a more in-depth analysis of biscuit fillings, cream ingredients and processing, you’re more than welcome to download the presentation!
