Comparison of the crystallization behaviors of different types of cocoa butters and chocolates

Abstract

Nucleation and crystal growth rate of cocoa butters (CBs) and fats from chocolates with different compositions were studied and compared. Pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance was applied to determine the isothermal crystallization kinetics of these fat samples. Crystallization behaviors of the studied CBs and five different chocolate types: dark (DCh43%), white (WCh), and milk (MCh25%, MCh27%, MCh30%) were tested at two different isothermal temperatures, namely, 0°C and 20°C. The fatty acid composition and temperature affect the crystallization kinetics of CBs and chocolates. The crystallization kinetic parameters were calculated by using the Foubert model. The Foubert model revealed the best fit for all studied fat samples (R2 = 0.8951–0.9973). The principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were used for discrimination of similarities and differences of the studied CBs and chocolates based on their fatty acid compositions and crystallization behaviors. Practical applications Quality and acceptability of confectionery products produced from cocoa depend on chemical and physical properties of cocoa butter. Therefore, the kinetics of fat crystallization is important for controlling operations in the confectionery industry to produce the desired products. For this reason the crystallization kinetics of different cocoa butters and various types of chocolates were observed by means of changes in solid fat content as a function of time and described using Foubert model.

Determination of the process effect on cocoa butter crystallization by rheometer: Kinetic modeling by Gompertz equation

“…Accordingly, the reproduction of bacteria by binary fission can be compared to the growth of crystals from a nucleus, and bacterial consumption of nutrients can be compared to the reduction of supersaturation. Therefore, the Gompertz model was used in many studies to estimate the parameters of crystallization of different fats and/or oils (Foubert et al., 2002; Mursalin, 2018; Szydłowska‐Czerniak et al., 2017).…”