Coating Pan

About traditional panning

Panning is a coating process of centers with layers of sugar syrup, chocolate, compound or yoghurt in a coating pan. The coated article can be almonds, peanuts, hazels, raisins, malted milk balls, cherries, preserved gingers or nougat. The article must have some solidity otherwise it will break in the panning machine while rotating.

The chocolate coating process flows in three separate operations.

• Preglazing.
• Engrossing.
• Final glazing.

Preglazing is a coating process of thin syrup layer which will seal the centers and prevent the mixing nut oil to chocolate. Mixing of the nut oil to chocolate coating will develop fat bloom or will soften the chocolate coating. However preglazing operation can be bypassed in case thick chocolate coating is going to be appiled.

While centers are rotating in the pan, syrup of 50 percent concentration is poured in small quantities. Pan rotation will allow distribution of the syrup over the surface of the nuts and blown air onto the syrup layer will cause it to dry out as a glaze. It is necessery to dry out each layer befor pouring the next syrup. The syrup used for preglazing should be viscous and not crystallize after drying.

To increase viscousity, gum arabic is added to the solution and to prevent cystallization, glycose syrup.

Some confectionery manufacturers are using dusting powders to build up the glazing layer. Dusting powder is consisting of cocoa and powdered sugar mixtures. Using dusting powder for glazing is particularly useful when preserved fruits or ginger are been panned as it helps to neutralize the stickiness of the liquid glazing solution.

Engrossing is the chocolate coating operation. The chocolate used for coating should be fluid enough so can be easily distributed over the articles being coated. To build up the chocolate layer, about 13 degrees cool air with humidity at 60 percent or below should be blown inside the pan. Care is required in this operation to prevent adhesion of the centers.

Final glaze can be obtained by various methods but basically for the best result two distinct layers are applied as first is a syrup glaze and second a wax or shellac glaze. The syrup glaze is similar to the one used for preglazing or edible dextrin may be used. To make the syrup viscouse "crystal gums" may be used instead of gum arabic. The syrup glaze is applied by pouring two or three layers with drying in between. Cold air about 18 to 21 degrees and humidity about 50 percent is blown inside pan to dry the syrup. The drying is continued until all signs of stickiness have disappeared.

After this glazing operation, product should be left for resting at least for 12 hr. in conditioned room at about 18 degrees and humidity of 50 to 60 percent. After this period of drying the second final glaze wax or edible shellac glaze is applied again inside the pan.

The wax glaze may be beeswax or carnauba wax and final product obtains dull glaze. For glossy surface it is necessery to use varnish prepared from shellac.