Plant for the manufacture and/or preparation of confectionery masses, and a method for the cleaning of a plant for the manufacture and/or preparation of confectionery masses

A method for cleaning a plant configured to manufacture confectionery masses from at least one liquid raw material and granular and/or powder form raw materials, the plant having at least one mixing tank, a processing tank and a production path connecting the tanks, the mixing tank having at least one inlet, an outlet, and a mixing device for mixing the raw materials to form a raw material mixture, the method comprising:

• pumping the raw material mixture out of the outlet of the mixing tank, through the production path, and into to the processing tank, which is configured to maintain the raw material mixture in motion to at least minimize settling of coarse-grained components;
• supplying a first residual quantity of the liquid raw material into the mixing tank via a first spraying device to clean the mixing tank, the first spraying device being positioned in an upper region of the at least one mixing tank and being directed in a direction of an interior wall surface of the mixing tank;
• pumping the first residual quantity onward through the same production path to the processing tank, which mixes the first residual quantity with the raw material mixture to produce a product mix;
• supplying a second residual quantity of the liquid raw material into the processing tank via a second spraying device to clean the processing tank after the product mix has been transferred out of the processing tank, the second spraying device being positioned in an upper region of the processing tank;
• and
• transferring the second residual quantity of the liquid raw material into a waste pipe so that the second residual quantity is disposed as waste or into a residual mass tank so that the second residual quantity is stored for use in a later production batch.