Top quality for high standards

Champignon-Hofmeister company group supplies under the industry brand Alpavit roller-dried whole milk powder of high quality to numerous well-known chocolate manufacturers thanks to its winning combination of sophisticated technology and strict quality criteria.

By Alfons Strohmaier

Whole milk chocolate developing a gently dissolving structure that ”melts in the mouth” is primarily dependent on a finely balanced conching process combined with milk powder. Mass production of such products often ­uses spray-dried skim milk powder for this process, but premium suppliers and numerous manufacturers of the very highest quality milk chocolate correctly swear by whole milk powder manufactured by roller drying. “The high 75 to 85 percent level of free fat ­ensures better melting and therefore has a decisive influence on the quality of the chocolate,” explains Thomas Götz, Plant Manager at the Hofmeister Käsewerk GmbH & Co. KG in Moosburg / Germany, one of five production facilities operated by the Champignon-Hofmeister company group with headquarter in Lauben.
The family-run enterprise, famous for its prize winning cheese specialities, was one of the first companies to install the particular, sophisticated roller drying technology in Moosburg back in 1968. Meanwhile, with over 10.000 t Alpavit is one of the largest suppliers and quality leaders in this segment. The special particle structure (see REM pictures) of roller-dried powder features a significantly higher free fat content which in the manufacture of chocolate mass, offers enormous advantages compared to conventional spray-dried milk powder.
The intensive milk flavour with a mild caramel note ensures outstanding taste in the final product. The high-quality dried milk product works extremely well thanks to its low hygroscopic properties with the best process characteristics, also providing ­excellent support for the potential of the cocoa butter. Alpavit supplies ­roller-dried whole milk powder for use in milk chocolate and fat-based mass, as well as Alpavit roller-dried cream powder for the manufacture of milk and white chocolate along with fat ­fillings. The portfolio also includes customer specific solutions.

Top quality applies to the entire supply chain

Plant Manager Götz knows that roller drying requires much more effort and attention in order to deliver top qual­ity. He says, “In contrast to spray-drying which as a closed system is relatively easy to handle, roller drying is an open system with enormously high demands on hygiene and quality ­assurance”. Following initial evaporating the water is removed from the milk on the hot roller. The dried film is scraped off with a knife and the dried powder is stored. The Moosburg plant employing 75 workers is equipped with two production lines and several rollers.
The highest quality standards are also the priority in storage and delivery. Roller-dried whole milk powder is extremely sensitive to light which destroys the molecular structure of free fats. This quickly leads to changes of the flavour. Accordingly, the supply of customers with big bags is one of the challenges. For a long time, the powder was delivered only by silo trains or in lightproof paper bags. But big bags with a volume of 750 to 800 kg are in increasingly greater demand due to easier discharging. In order to ­also guarantee highest quality with this method, the company initiated a ­research project with Kempten ­University and can now integrate the research results in the process.
The group founded Alpavit in 1988. Since then, the business unit has offered numerous products from the whey process including demineralized whey powder, pharmaceutical-qual­ity lactose, and whey protein concentrates. All products are available with Halal and Kosher certification, and some in in organic quality. With its broad spectrum of high-quality ­products Alpavit has established an outstanding reputation among inter­national customers, including many of the top companies from the German and European chocolate industry.    •