ProSweets Cologne 2025: Innovative processes and natural ingredients pave the way for unique chocolate creations

New machine concepts, pioneering ingredients and processes are shaping the trends in sweets production

Novel raw materials, innovative products, improved recipes: The market for sweets is on the move more than ever before. And the point of sale is also coming up with new chocolate creations on almost a daily basis. From 2 to 5 February 2025, ProSweets Cologne will be the central point of contact for all people looking for first-class solutions for professional chocolate production. In addition to process and packaging machines the focus also lies on ingredients at the international supplier fair for the sweets and snacks industry.

They are the undisputed leaders on the German sweets shelf: The average German consumes almost nine kilogrammes of chocolate products a year, with an upward trend. Whether traditionally produced bars of chocolate with hand-picked fruits and nuts or filled chocolates with multisensory taste combinations - moments full of tasty enjoyment are at the top of the consumers' list. With tailor-made sweet machines the companies can remain agile and quick to react in this constantly changing market.  

Technology for successful sweets production
From the roasting of the cocoa beans, to the rolling and conching, through to the coating and casting, chocolate-makers can find the right equipment at ProSweets Cologne 2025 to process their chocolate creations. With the plants of well-known machine suppliers, including Sollich and Chocotech, which will be on display in Cologne, also small batches of a large variety of sweets can be produced efficiently and hygienically. Many of the solutions presented on-site stand out because of their consistent hygienic design optimisation to simplify the cleaning processes or fulfil the higher standards for functional sweets and OTC products.

The exhibitor Hansella GmbH is planning to present an innovative machine at ProSweets Cologne 2025, which offers maximum raw material efficiency and considerable savings in the cocoa consumption – an industry-relevant and exciting theme in times of rising cocoa prices. 

Out-of-the-box thinking for more flexibility
The technology suppliers are more and more frequently going a step further when it comes down to the established machine concepts. The innovative spirit of the machine builders is reflected when "out-of-the-box thinking" is demanded to ensure more flexibility. ConfecVARIO by Winkler und Dünnebier Süßwarenmaschinen (WDS) is such an innovative concept for the production of chocolate, jelly beans and OTC sweets with just one machine type. Thanks to the moulding process in polycarbonate moulds, a clean and efficient technology for the production of fruit gums has been developed here, the roots of which originate from the chocolate moulding process. The ConfecVARIO disposes of a novel, chainless multifunctional cabinet for cooling, warming and storing the moulds. The tempering machines of the model line EX by Selmi are a further example. They are equipped with a removable screw which facilitates changing the coating. They can also process nuts, cocoa nibs and other chunky ingredients together with the mass.

The developments on the raw materials markets – keyword price increases – are also challenging the familiar and established sweets production processes. Cocoa is at the top of the agenda here. It plays a decisive role because it lends chocolate its authentic taste and at the same time determines the texture, colour and aroma of the final product. Cocoa powder helps retain the moisture in bakery products, which leads to a tender crumb. In filled chocolates it provides structure and stability by absorbing the moisture. However, due to the rising global temperatures and the drier climate there is growing concern about the future of this important raw material. One of the product developers' answers to this development involves adapting the cocoa content in the recipes.

Boosters as a response to the market development
At ProSweets Cologne, suppliers of food ingredients like Prova are reacting to this with a wide range of "cocoa boosters" that intensify the aroma of the chocolate in compounds. They allow the share of cocoa powder to be reduced by up to 30 percent. For example, the extract-free aromas enable the accentuation of whole milk or plain chocolate aromas using very low dosages and adapted solubility. Natural caramel colours with high stability and a neutral taste profile make up for possible colour losses and guarantee that filled chocolates and chocolate bars retain their attractive appearance in spite of the low cocoa content. Refined with crunchy pieces of fruit, creamy nut pastes or unusual fruit preparations, the reformulated products provide a pleasurable chocolatey experience.

A further alternative is chocolate that does completely without cocoa in the recipe – such as ChoViva that was distinguished as a Top Innovation at ISM 2024. The novel chocolate that was developed by the start-up, Planet A Foods, is based on the domestic ingredients oats and sunflower seeds, that similar to cocoa are processed in a fermentation-like way. At the same time, ChoViva has an up to 90 percent lower CO2 footprint compared to conventional chocolate. Such reformulations are a possible option of how to react to the latest challenges on the raw material markets. At the Zurich University for Applied Science (ZHAW) one is going a step further in the search for alternatives. There Prof. Dr. Regine Eibl and Prof. Dr. Thilo Hühn are on the path towards precision fermentation. Their target: To decouple chocolate production and cocoa cultivation by growing the cells of the cocoa beans in bioreactors. 

The future: Cocoa out of the bioreactor?
It is no coincidence that Eibl and Hühn have decided to reproduce the most important raw material of the sweets industry in the laboratory. It takes around five years for a cocoa plant to yield its first harvest. On top of that: A quarter of the bean harvest doesn't pass the quality test in the countries of origin, which means by producing cocoa in the bioreactor, food waste can be avoided. Hühn and Eibl's team divide the cocoa bean up into pieces and place them on a culture medium. Over the course time tissue forms over the places they have been cut. As soon as there is enough tissue it is placed in a suspension culture in the bioreactor and kept at an ideal temperature so that the cocoa cells can multiply. Freeze-dried and roasted they can subsequently be further produced into chocolate in the classic way. There are already companies like the start-up, Foodbrewer, who intend to bring this innovation out onto the market in the next few years. It is an innovation that fits in with the times: With a view to sustainable food, particularly the younger generation is open to new tastes.

The visitors of ProSweets Cologne can experience which trends will have an impact on the selection of ingredients and processing for the sweets and snacks manufacturers in the "Ingredients" Special Show in Hall 10.1. Here, the future agency Haute Innovations will be presenting the latest and most exciting ingredients and raw materials together with selected start-ups. For example, sugar alternatives originating from the chicory root, the fruit pulp of cocoa beans or South East Asian fruits find their way into the recipes.

ProSweets Cologne 2025: Further event highlights
In addition to the Ingredients Special Show, ProSweets Cologne offers a diversified event programme, practice-oriented lectures, exciting discussions and exclusive tastings on the Expert Stage and on the Sweet Week Talks & Tasting Stage. The Sweet Week Production Summit on 3 February 2025 that is taking place for the first time brings the exhibitors and visitors of both trade fairs together. First-class examples of best practice that demonstrate the implementation of AI tools for a cost-efficient and future-proof production will be showcased. These will be enhanced by short pitch sessions by suppliers exhibiting at ProSweets Cologne, followed by a matchmaking forum in the Networking Area to promote concrete solutions and business relations.

The DLG Careers Day on 2 February 2025 is celebrating a further premiere. Here, students and young professionals have the opportunity to network with supplier companies of the sweets and snacks industry, gain valuable insights into their future career and have their application documents checked on-site. 

The full event programme can be found here: Events on site | ProSweets Cologne.  

Koelnmesse – industry trade fairs for the food technology sector: Koelnmesse is an international leader in organising trade fairs in the field of food and beverage processing. Anuga FoodTec and ProSweets Cologne are established, world-leading trade fairs, hosted in Cologne/Germany. In addition to the events at its Cologne headquarters, Koelnmesse also stages further food technology trade fairs with different sector-specific areas of focus and content in key markets across the world, including India, Italy and Colombia. These global activities enable Koelnmesse to offer its customers bespoke events and leading regional trade fairs in a variety of markets, thus creating the foundation for sustainable international business. Koelnmesse is also ideally positioned in the field of food and beverages with its leading international trade fairs Anuga and ISM and its global network of satellite events.

100 years of Koelnmesse: Koelnmesse is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2024. 100 years in which Koelnmesse has brought people and markets together worldwide. 100 years in which it has reinvented itself time and again with a visionary passion for the future. This has made the vision of Konrad Adenauer, who was the Mayor of Cologne in 1924 and later became Germany's Chancellor, of an international trade fair venue in Cologne a reality. With the awareness that even established trade fairs require constant renewal in order to remain fit for the future, Koelnmesse will continue to drive innovation and international growth without forgetting its roots.

Save the Date: It’s Sweet Week - join the sweetest place-to-be! The most important trade fairs of the sweets and snacks industry are being held simultaneously in Cologne from 2 to 5 February 2025: As a duo, the sweets trade fair, ISM, and the supplier fair, ProSweets Cologne, represent the entire industrial value chain of the international sweets and snacks industry - and present the largest worldwide offer of private labels in the sweet and salty segment. Anyone, who wants to be up-to-date on sweets and snacks-related technology, can learn everything here from the latest products, developments and trends, through to the most innovative ingredients, materials, packaging and process steps. During the Sweet Week the sector's most important industry players all engage in an exchange in one location at the same time - to bring about the sweetest synergies in the areas of networking, knowledge transfer and business.
Further information: https://www.prosweets.com/fair/industry-sectors

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