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Bühler has unveiled the next generation of two of its chocolate processing technology solutions: the Finer S Edition 26 five-roll refiner, and the ELK Edition 26 single-shaft conche.

According to Bühler, the Edition 26 systems run ‘cleaner, smarter, more efficiently and with greater transparency’. The evolved technologies aim to enable customers to meet future industry needs and reinforce their position in the chocolate industry.

Refining and conching – two steps that largely define final product quality, fineness, taste, aroma, flow behaviour and raw material efficiency – are at the heart of the solutions.

The company’s engineers worked closely with customers to identify where chocolate manufacturing performance could be improved, amid cocoa price volatility and supply shortages.

Skeljzen Nesimi, head of product management for Chocolate & Flavour Creation at Bühler, said: “Our sensor technology monitors the refining process and automatically fine-tunes roll speed, pressure, and temperature – all without manual intervention and independent of operator skills. This real-time optimisation ensures consistent fineness, increases throughput and reduces waste.”

Nesimi added that Bühler’s new energy-efficient IE5 motors cut energy consumption by up to 3%, while a more hygienic design strengthens food safety and improves access for cleaning in addition to reducing downtime.

The ELK S Edition 26 single-shaft conche is designed to create the desired chocolate flavour while removing unwanted volatiles and moisture, delivering consistent results. The conching technology remains unchanged, enabling intense shearing and high fat release for improved taste and mouthfeel. Fat savings of up to 2% are achievable due to enhanced shearing and improved fat release, while the overall redesign and new tools are claimed to bring potential energy consumption reductions of 30%.

The full system upgrade was developed around Bühler’s Playone automation system, included as a standard component.

“Our new automation system, powered by Bühler’s Playone, frees operators to focus on higher-value tasks such as quality control,” said Nesimi. “With its web-based design, it can be accessed via any authorised factory device, such as tablet, desktop or smartphone, adding flexibility to the production set-up.”