Production and characterization of seed crystals based on mixtures of fully hydrogenated soybean oil (hardfat) and other oils to application in chocolates

Abstract

The demand for techniques that accelerate or make unnecessary the chocolate tempering step is increasing to optimize the production. The tempering consists of a pre-crystallization on which small amount of cocoa butter crystals in the stable polymorph ² are produced, providing good quality characteristics as gloss, texture, melting and undercut of chocolate, and prevent the formation of fat-bloom defect. The alternative technique of tempering called seeding is based on previous production of fat based seed crystals in the more stable polymorphic form ², which are added directly to chocolate inducing the crystallization of the more stable forms. Most studies and patents involving the development or application of seeds employ cocoa butter feedstock. A previous study used fully hydrogenated oils, known as hardfats, a raw material of low cost, in seed production by spray cooling technique. However, the crystals produced had unstable polymorphic ± habit, which is not desirable in application in chocolate. This research project aimed at the production and characterization of seed crystals obtained by spray cooling using mixtures of soybean hardfat and D-limonene or canola oil, which have demonstrated accelerating the polymorphic transition of fats. It will be tested different concentrations of oil added and the seeds will be characterized by several analytical techniques.