PMCA Preview 2011

PMCA Preview

Crossing the Chocolate Finish Line

This year, PMCA’s 65th annual production conference, which will be held April 11-13, debuts in a new venue in Lancaster, Pa. But it’sBack to Basicsduring the first two days, with an emphasis on “processing finished chocolate into finished products.” Speakers will also address a host of regulatory, sanitation, production and formulation issues during the program.

Shawn Bennett

Monday, April 11, 2011

Back to Basics - Processing Finished Chocolate to Finished Products

Welcome and Introduction Shawn Bennett, senior manager - chocolate excellence, NA Chocolate Product Development,The Hershey Co., will provide a basic overview of the topic and highlight key aspects of this year’s Back to Basics program.

Jorgen Holdgaard

Fine Tuning Rheology in Chocolate – Why, When and How?

Jørgen Holdgaard, chocolate laboratory manager,Palsgaard, will present the important factors in measuring and adjusting the flow properties in chocolate. Practical demonstrations will be used during the presentation.

Moreno Roncato

Chocolate Moulding – Process and Equipment

Moreno Roncato, managing director, Carle & Montanari S.P.Awill give an introduction to different types of chocolate moulding systems, followed by a review of the “steps” within each process, and the equipment necessary to perform them.

Peter Koch

Enrobing Process and Techniques

Along with covering the enrobing process from machine basics to detailing and decorating, Peter Koch, area sales manager,Sollich KG, Germany, will also touch on the endless possibilities for marketing enrobed chocolates.

Josh Rahn

Depositing and other Forming Methods

Through an interactive tasting and short video, Josh Rahn, product development supervisor,Cargill Cocoa and Chocolate, will illustrate the types of challenges involved in depositing, how chocolate formulations affect this manufacturing process and why customers will choose certain products over others.

Abdoulaye Traore

Tuesday Morning, April 12th

Ghirardelli Chocolate Co.’sSteve Genzoli, v.p. - QA and R&D, will moderate the morning sessions.

Somatic Embryogenesis in Cocoa: Potential for High Cocoa Production

Abdoulaye Traore, process development scientist,Mars Global Chocolate R&D, will lead a lecture on cacao somatic embryogenesis and its potential to increase yield and quality. On average only 5% of the trees on a cocoa farm are “elites,” which produce 50% of the cocoa. Replicating elite trees using clonal propagation can potentially increase bean production and quality.

Darlene Cowart

An Overview of the U.S. Peanut Industry Genomics Effort

The U.S. peanut industry began their genomics initiative in 2007 with a seven-year strategic plan. Darlene Cowart, corporate director - food safety and quality,Birdsong Peanuts, will provide an overview of the industry’s efforts on genomics research and accomplishments.

Walter Wink

Alternate Sources of Sugar

Walter Vink,Vink Associates, Inc.,will examine the use of uncommonly used or undeveloped sugar sources, which are already in the food chain and currently exist in some of the foods we consume. These sources could offer additional opportunities for both the retail confectioner and larger manufacturer to produce high quality, premium candies. Audience tasting samples will be included in this presentation.

David Stuart

Keys to Effective Mould Washing

David Stuart, product & process engineer,Ghirardelli Chocolate Co., will explore the often overlooked process of mould washing through various factors such as machine type, cleaning effectiveness, detergents, energy used, and other factors.

Roger Bont

GFSI: Deployment of FSSC 22000

GFSI food safety audit schemes have become a standard expectation for most customers and the choice of an audit scheme, certifying body, and deployment plan can be confusing. Roger Bont, global quality assurance director - corporate food safety & regulatory Affairs,Cargill Inc., will share his company’s experiences to demystify the food safety audit landscape, the progression of GFSI, and the differences between the GFSI audit schemes.

Mark Heim

Tuesday Afternoon, April 12th

“Back to Basics-Don’t Forget the Centers”

Welcome and Introduction Mark Heim, Research Fellow,The Hershey Co., will moderate the afternoon session.

Maurice Jeffery

Brittles and other Crunches

Well-established products such as "brittles" and "crunchies" deliver distinctly different textures and flavors than other confections. Maurice Jeffery, president,Jeffery Associates, Consultancy, will detail the composition, recipes, and manufacture of these candies and will include a small-scale production demonstration of how these candies are made.

Randy Hofberger

Caramel Basics

Randy Hofberger, president,R&D Candy Consultants LLC, will share his process for cooking caramel. The presentation will focus on the ingredients, formulation guidelines and the manufacturing process. A cooking demonstration of bench top caramel comprises part of his presentation.

Mark Jarrard Jr.

Fondant-Based Centers

Mark Jarrard Jr., development technologist,Godiva Chocolatier, Inc.and Thierry Muret, executive chef chocolatier,Godiva Chocolatier, Inc.will outline a few basic forms of fondant use as well as examine a few examples of the ‘artisanal’ vs ‘modern’ means of using fondant in centers.

Steven Marcanello

Troubleshooting Basics for Center Problems

During the first half of this session, Steven Marcanello, v.p. - operations,Asher’s Chocolates, discusses the logical and basic methods used to determine why confectionery centers do not always turn out as planned. The second half of the presentation will feature a Q&A panel discussion with theBack to Basicssession speakers.

Thomas Linemayr

Tuesday Evening, April 12th

Establishing Premium Chocolate in the USA

Thomas Linemayr, ceo and president,Lindt & Sprüngli (USA) Inc. will enlighten attendees with an interesting presentation on a look at the growth and future of the premium chocolate world that has given consumers so many delightful products.

Alison Reich Bodor

Wednesday Morning, April 13th

Cynthia Angelo, Food Scientist,Givaudan Flavors, will moderate the last session of the day.

Regulatory Update for the Confectionery Industry 2011

Alison Reich Bodor, senior v.p. - public policy, National Confectioners Association, will present an update on food safety and regulatory issues, highlighting the emergence of front-of-pack labeling schemes.

Firth K. Whitehouse

Whole Grains in Confections: Considerations, Challenges and Opportunities

Focus on improved health through nutrition is increasing, with lots of attention being paid to the consumption of whole grains. Firth K. Whitehouse, global applications and marketing manager,Caremoli USA, will review the definition of whole grains, the health benefits, the regulatory landscape, ingredient options, formulation considerations and applications examples.

Laura Quinn

Probiotics for Confectionery Applications

Studies have shown that the consumption of certain strains of probiotics, is essential to human health and well being. Laura Quinn, sr. application technologist,Danisco USA, will share the potential benefits of incorporating probiotics into confectionery products and the critical parameters for their successful application.

Tim Galloway

Dairy Costs in Confections: National and Global Considerations

Tim Galloway, ceo,Galloway Co., will explore the relationships between the domestic and world dairy markets and their impact on confections.

Using Social Media to Sweeten Confectionery Industry Growth

Pete Healy, v.p,- account planning,GyroHSR LLC, will unearth the ways by which companies large and small can use social media to build customer loyalty and profit growth, from R&D to the shopping cart.

Sidebars:

Spotlight on the Peanut

A legume will be the star of this years’ feature exhibit at the Pennsylvania Manufacturing Confectioners’ Association’s (PMCA) 65th Annual Production Conference.

The peanut, which Americans consume at a rate of six pounds per year and can be found in many popular confectionery products, will highlight the Suppliers Exhibition.

The PMCA Peanut Growing Display, follows on the heels of a last years’ successful cocoa bean exhibit.

Yvette Thomas, the PMCA’s administrative director, explains that the Production Conference Committee decided last year to create an exhibition to complement the technical presentation on chocolate.

“[The cocoa bean exhibit] was such a hit last year that the committee thought we should do something else this year,” she says.

Because the technical presentation at this years’ conference focuses on the peanut genome project, the committee wanted to include an interactive display on the nut. The presentation will infuse a video and supplemental literature with informative displays and tastings.

With assistance from Dr. Mark Guiltinan’s Research laboratory at the Pennsylvania State University, the American Peanut Council, and Virginia – Carolina Peanut Promotions, conference attendees will have the opportunity to learn about the growth stages of the peanut from germinating seeds to mature plants.

Participants will be able to view a world map of peanut growing areas and layouts of young and adult plants as well as germinating seedlings and harvested plants. Four varieties of the peanut - Runners, Spanish, Valencia and Virginia - also will be available to sample.

A select few attendees even will be able to take their own peanut plant home to grow and nurture. Trees will be handed out on a first-come first-serve basis and will include a brochure explaining how to properly take care of the plant.

Student Outreach Program

PMCA’s Student Outreach Committee, led by Chair Barry Glazier,Mars Chocolate NA, will once again host students from educational institutions studying food science and related programs, to attend the conference. Students will have the opportunity to interact with industry personnel and enjoy several activities developed specifically for them, including a plant tour sponsored byWolfgang Candy Co., York, Pa.

25 Year Exhibitor Recognition

The following companies have exhibited for twenty five years or more at the PMCA Production Conference:

ADM Cocoa
American Chocolate Mould Co.
Baker Perkins
Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate
Carle & Montanari, U.S.A. Inc.
Centerchem Inc.
Colorcon
Corn Products International
Emkay Confectionery Machinery
Fuji Vegetable Oil Inc.
KOCO, Inc.
Loder’s Croklaan
Molded Fiber Glass Tray Co.
Sensient Colors, Inc.
Union Confectionery Machinery Co.
Woody Associates, Inc.
WRH Industries, Ltd

Supplier Exhibition

The 2011 Production Conference once again will feature the highly popular supplier exhibition on Monday afternoon from 12:30-5:00pm in Freedom Hall of the Lancaster County Convention Center. For a complete list of suppliers exhibiting at the hall, visit www.candyindustry.com.

Supplier Exhibition Registrations as of late December, 2010