Carnauba wax and adipic acid oleogels as an innovative strategy for cocoa butter alternatives in chocolate spreads.

The aim of this study was to replace cocoa butter substitute (CBS) with structured sunflower oil in chocolate spread partially. Two types of oleogel, 6% carnauba wax (CWO) and 2% carnauba wax with 4% adipic acid (AD-CWO) were substituted (at 20%, 50%, and 70%), and chocolate spread characteristics were evaluated. Various properties of chocolate spread samples were investigated as peroxide value, firmness, oil binding capacity, moisture content, molecular interactions, and molecular conformation of fat crystals. The increasement of CBS substitution by oleogel in samples significantly reduced firmness. The samples with 20% replacement formulated by CWO and AD-CWO had the highest oil binding capacity, 97.48 ± 0.21% and 97.73 ± 0.02, respectively. Moreover, oxidative stability analysis showed a positive correlation with an increasing replacement level over 90 days of storage. Based on FT-IR analysis, the new intermolecular hydrogen bond formation in the oleogel-based spreads network has been confirmed. CBS replacement with oleogels revealed the presence of stable ß´ polymorphs with low intensity. In conclusion, the carnauba-based oleogels have significant potential to substitute CBS in chocolate spread partially.

Using maltitol and xylitol as alternative bulking agents in milk chocolate: modelling approach.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate optimal concentration of polyols (maltitol and xylitol) by applying mixture design for the formulation of milk chocolate. The influences of polyols as sucrose substitutes on the main physicochemical parameters and sensory perception were determined. The optimization of the variables demonstrated that utilizing 85.58% maltitol and 14.42% xylitol yielded the optimum milk chocolate with the highest desirability without unpleasant alterations in the quality characteristics. Chocolates possessing high concentrations of maltitol pleased the consumer demand. The outcomes indicated that sucrose replacement by polyols have potential in the formulation of reduced calorie milk chocolates. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-021-05268-1.

Carob powder as cocoa substitute in milk and dark compound chocolate formulation.

In the current research, the possibility of using carob powder as a substitute for cocoa powder in milk and dark compound chocolates was investigated. Five chocolate samples containing carob powder (20, 40, 60, 80 and 100%) along with control were produced and the physico-chemical analyzes were measured. Chocolate samples were assessed for sensory acceptance by a hedonic scale. The outcomes indicated that chocolate formulations with lower content of carob powder presented higher quality in terms of color parameters, mean particle size and hardness (values close to control). The addition of carob powder resulted in decreased yield stress in dark chocolates. Also dark chocolate formulations containing high levels of carob powder recorded Casson viscosity values similar to control. Moreover, the milk chocolates containing 40% carob powder illustrated no significant differences in sensory properties with control. However acceptance of the dark chocolate samples was similar to control in all attributes. The results proved that it is possible to utilize carob powder to replace cocoa powder in chocolate production in order to improve nutritional values (higher fiber and fewer calories) with agreeable sensory attributes.

Optimization of prebiotic sucrose-free milk chocolate formulation by mixture design.

The purpose of the current research was to determine optimal situation by applying Simplex lattice mixture design for the formulation of prebiotic sucrose-free milk chocolate. Chocolate samples were prepared using two different sugar alcohols containing xylitol and maltitol along with galactooligosaccharide as prebiotic substance. The effects of sugar alcohols and prebiotic blends on rheological attributes and some physical characteristics were assessed. The outcomes represented the high coefficient of determination (≥ 90%) of fitted models. The optimization of the variables indicated that using 20.857 g maltitol, 7.131 g xylitol and 5.012 g galactooligosaccharide generated the optimized chocolate with the highest desirability (1.00) without undesirable changes in the rheological and physical properties. Furthermore, the optimum formulation was prepared to validate the optimum model. The sensory evaluation of the optimized formulation of chocolate pleased the consumer needs.

Effects of polyols on the quality characteristics of sucrose-free milk chocolate produced in a ball mill.

Sucrose-free milk chocolates containing different types of bulk (isomalt, xylitol and maltitol) and high intensity (Stevia) sweeteners were produced by using a ball mill. The main quality characteristics of the formulated chocolates were evaluated and compared with those of the conventional sample containing sucrose. The Casson model was the best fitting model for the rheological data. Casson viscosity and Casson yield stress were significantly affected by the type of bulking agent in chocolates formulated with xylitol (p < 0.05). However xylitol notably improved the overall acceptability according to the sensory analysis results. Chocolates containing the sucrose replacers demonstrated lower T onset values and higher enthalpy than the control sample. Sucrose-free chocolates illustrated a higher degree of particle agglomeration. Bulk sweeteners meanwhile seem to have high potential for milk chocolate production with low calorie values by using the ball mill technique. Industrial applications: the production of sucrose-free chocolates with conventional methods requires a lot of time and energy. Recently, using alternative methods for chocolate production has been raising interest in many small industries. This study proposed a ball mill method for the preparation of sucrose-free milk chocolates with physiochemical properties almost ranging in the standard limit defined for chocolate. Although using the ball mill method presents a more cost-effective technique for chocolate production and provides shorter processing times for small chocolate industries, it seems to be less efficient in evaporating moisture than the conventional processing. Challenges are still ahead for upgrading this alternative technique to be efficient in evaporating more moisture during operation ending in a high quality product.

Formulation of dark chocolate as a carrier to deliver eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids: Effects on product quality.

In this study, dark chocolate enriched with EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) was developed using various forms and origins. Quality characteristics such as physical, thermo-gravimetric, rheological, textural and sensory properties of chocolates were investigated. The highest EPA/DHA stability was determined in samples prepared by free-flowing powder and microencapsulated forms of omega-3 fatty acids (FA). The L∗ and C∗ values varied from 32.16-33.37 and 7.45-8.09, respectively for the all samples. Hardness values ranged between 6422 and 8367 N and the use of EPA/DHA in the triglyceride form caused softer chocolate whereas control sample was the hardest sample. Melting and rheological properties were not significantly affected by the studied EPA/DHA sources (P < 0.05). Microencapsulated EPA/DHA added chocolate was the most preferred source whereas sample with algae oil showed the lowest acceptability. According to the results, dark chocolate can be used for delivering omega-3 FA by considering their origin and physical form.