Baking & Snack - April 2019 - 72

COOKIE PROCESSING

For cookie processing,
flexible production
lines can help bakers
maintain product quality
and accurate
cookie weights.
Reading Bakery Systems

rate portion control," said Franco Fusari, commercial
director and co-owner of Minipan.
Reading Bakery Systems' (RBS) wirecut machines use
feed rolls and a filler block to deliver accurate cookie
weights, and their tight tolerances ensure weight control.
"The feed rolls offer a soft push to the cookie dough and
minimize any work or force going into the product," said
Sam Pallottini, RBS. "The key is to make sure the feed
roll gap is larger than the inclusions mixed in the cookie dough. The larger gap allows the inclusions to pass
through while preserving inclusion integrity."
Filled cookies have different needs when it comes to
weight control. In these products, bakers must manage
the weight of the filling. The key in these applications
is maintaining the flow of product as it's portioning
through the machine. "Many people think that for us to
make a filled cookie, we need to pulse the filling, making a natural break in the filling where the cookie can
be cut," said John Giacoio, vice-president of sales, Rheon
USA. "This is not the case. If you were to pulse the filling, this would cause serious weight variations."
To provide bakers with a more consistent flow of filling, Rheon uses a shutter that cuts, wraps and seals the
co-extruded strand while also ensuring the filling is in
the center of the cookie.

Inclusion integrity
Inclusions are a critical part of certain cookies. Oatmeal
raisin, white chocolate macadamia nut and chocolate
chip contain inclusions that differ in size and consistency.
Consumers expect them to be visible and intact when they
purchase a cookie. It's critical that they clear production
without breaking or smearing the dough.
"Product quality is another focus area for bakers,"
Mr. Zelaya said. "Product discoloration and inclusion
breakage are some of their main concerns."
Maintaining integrity starts at the beginning: the mix-

72 Baking & Snack April 2019 / www.bakingandsnack.com

er. "It's very important to get the inclusions mixed into
the product evenly," Mr. Christie said. "We use a doublehelical blade with our sprag design, which has a fin between two blades to assist with an even faster mix."
After the mixer, smearing and breaking of inclusions
becomes a concern at the wirecutter or rotary moulder.
For wirecut processes, Spooner Vicars must identify the
inclusion before setting the feed gap to allow enough
room for the inclusion without sacrificing the weight
control of an excessive feed roll gap. For rotary moulding, as standard, Spooner Vicars offers an adjustable gap
and an adjustable tangential knife for clean cutting.
To ensure inclusion integrity with accurate weights,
RBS focuses on a filler block with tight tolerances. The
company matches the feed rolls with a baker's throughput needs. "The key is knowing the baker's product and
providing a wirecut that will preserve inclusion integrity
and maintain an even flow of cookie dough for maintaining weights," Mr. Pallottini said. RBS' tight tolerances paired with its design enables that consistent flow.
Gentle extrusion also controls inclusion smear and
breakage. The Vemag, available through Reiser, uses
a positive displacement double-screw pump to gently
transport the dough without overworking. This not only
maintains the dough's integrity but also the inclusions'.
Rheon's co-extruders also gently extrude cookies
without filling. "When we divide a chocolate chip cookie
dough through our machine, the vanilla dough is still
a light color after it has been formed; we get minimal
smear from the chocolate chips," Mr. Giacoio said. For
wirecut cookies, an ultrasonic slicer cleanly cuts through
inclusions without dragging.
A wide range of equipment options also enable bakers to select the right pump or head for their specific inclusions and dough. Handtmann has designed different
pump configurations that preserve inclusions.
Minipan developed a range of heads that offer adjust-

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