Effect of sweetener combination and storage temperature on physicochemical properties of sucrose free white chocolate

Development of high-fiber and high-protein virgin coconut oil-based spread and its physico-chemical, and sensory qualities

A spread was prepared using blends of virgin coconut oil (VCO), trans-free fat (TFF), whey powder, coconut fiber, emulsifiers, and flavors. Curcumin was added in micro quantities to provide a natural color. The samples formulated were tested for their spreadability, texture, and phase separation. The samples were analyzed for their physicochemical properties, such as color, texture, rheological characterization, and storage stability. The results showed that the formulated spread had moisture of 2.10%, protein of 9.23%, fat of 67.35%, ash of 4.56%, crude fiber of 11.2%, total carbohydrate 10.12%, and the values of peroxide, and percentage of free fatty acids were well below the acceptable levels during storage periods. The samples showed a phase separation after one month of storage at 38 °C. However, no separation was observed when stored at 4 °C and 27 °C. The spreads showed shear-thinning behavior, were solid at 4 °C, and were spreadable at 27 °C and flowy at 38 °C. DSC analysis indicated that the sample was solid below 9.63 °C and liquid over 20.57 °C. The spread was rich in lauric acid (26.01%), palmitic acid (28.26%), and trans fatty acid (Elaidic acid) was not detected. Based on the texture and sensory results, a 50:50 blend of VCO: TFF showed good spreadability. Sensorily, the products showed higher overall acceptability scores. The developed spread has an abundance of fiber, protein, and health-promoting factors from VCO.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-024-05990-6.

Chocolate microstructure: A comprehensive review

Chocolate is a food with complex microstructure properties. In this study, chocolate surface and internal microstructures are discussed considering final product quality and stability. In addition, the effects of the solids and continuous phase components and the interactions between them, and also process effects on the microstructure were reviewed. Irregularities in the internal microstructure affect the surface and cause problems such as unstable cocoa butter crystals, a whitish, streaky appearance, chewy especially fat bloom in this layer and in general, a low quality and sensory in final product. Optimization of the particle size and cooling conditions of the solids is required to modify the surface topography for roughness and pores morphology. Reducing surface porosity can increase fat bloom resistance. For this purpose, reducing surface hydrophobicity by considering proteins with di-sulfide bonds and their concentrations and the use of different bulk sweeteners should be taken into consideration. The morphology of the surface microstructure may be used for product characterization as well as to investigate the environmental conditions exposed during processing and storage. It should be noted that chocolate has a three-phase microstructural system, considering the air present in the gaps at the interface. The importance of the third phase for continuous phase mobility is critical. Additionally, this phase affects behavior in the oral cavity due to melting and release of volatile components.

Enrichment of White Chocolate with Microencapsulated β-Carotene: Impact on Quality Characteristics and β-Carotene Stability during Storage

This study developed functional white chocolate enriched with free (WC-F) and encapsulated β-carotene using whey protein isolate (WPI) and pullulan (PUL) blends through spray drying (WC-SP), freeze drying (WC-LP), and coaxial electrospinning (WC-EL). The thermal properties, rheological properties, hardness, and color of the chocolates were evaluated, and the stability of β-carotene was monitored over 4 months at 25 °C. No significant differences were found in melting profile temperatures among samples; however, WC-LP and WC-EL exhibited higher melting energies (30.88 J/g and 16.00 J/g) compared to the control (12.42 J/g). WC-F and WC-SP showed rheological behaviors similar to those of the control, while WC-LP and WC-EL displayed altered flow characteristics. Hardness was unaffected in WC-F and WC-SP (7.77 N/mm2 and 9.36 N/mm2), increased slightly in WC-LP (10.28 N/mm2), and decreased significantly in WC-EL (5.89 N/mm2). Over storage, melting point, rheological parameters, and hardness increased slightly, while color parameters decreased. β-carotene degradation followed a first-order reaction model, with degradation rate constants (k) of 0.0066 day-1 for WC-SP, 0.0094 day-1 for WC-LP, and 0.0080 day-1 for WC-EL, compared to 0.0164 day-1 for WC-F. WC-SP provided the best β-carotene retention, extending the half-life period by 2 times compared to WC-F (126.04 days vs. 61.95 days). Practical implications: The findings suggest that WC-SP, with its superior β-carotene stability, is particularly suitable for the development of functional confectionery products with extended shelf life, offering potential benefits in industrial applications where product stability is crucial. Future research directions: Further studies could explore the incorporation of additional bioactive compounds in white chocolate using similar encapsulation methods, as well as consumer acceptance and sensory evaluation of these enriched products.

Physicochemical properties, in vitro digestibility, and pH-dependent release behavior of starch-steviol glycoside composite hydrogels

Steviol glycosides possess Bola-form amphiphilic structure, which can solubilize hydrophobic phytochemicals and exert physical modification to the hydrophilic matrix. However, the effect of steviol glycosides on the starch hydrogel is still unclear. Herein, the physicochemical properties, in vitro digestibility, and release behavior of starch hydrogel in the presence of steviol glycosides were investigated. The results showed that the addition of steviol glycosides promoted the gelatinization and gelation of starch, and endowed the starch hydrogel with softer texture, larger volume, and higher water holding capacity. The hydrophobic curcumin was well integrated into hydrogel by steviol glycosides, providing the gel with improved colour brilliance. The introduction of steviol glycosides hardly affected the digestibility of starch gel, but it promoted the release rate of curcumin. Notably, this release behavior was pH dependent, which tended to target the alkaline intestine. This work provided some theoretical supports for the development of sugar-free starchy foods.

Sensorial, textural, and nutritional attributes of coconut sugar and cocoa solids based "bean-to-bar" dark chocolate

The impacts of cocoa solids and coconut sugar on the sensory perception of bean-to-bar dark chocolate were investigated with mixture design using response surface methodology. The maximum and minimum levels of cocoa nib, cocoa butter, and coconut sugar for the preparation of chocolate were 35-50%, 15-30%, and 20-35%, respectively. A suitable mathematical model was used to evaluate each response. Maximum and minimum levels of components caused a poor sensory acceptance of the resultant dark chocolate. The optimum level of independent variables, for the best set of responses, was 44.7% cocoa nib, 25.2% cocoa butter, and 30.2% coconut sugar, with a hedonic score of 8.28 for appearance, 8.64 for mouth feel, 8.71 for texture, 8.68 for taste, and 8.51 for overall acceptability, at a desirability of 0.86. The minimum time for grinding the chocolate mix was 24 hour, which was evident from the microscopic analysis of the chocolate mix. The optimized chocolate (70% dark) per 100 g constitutes 1.06 g moisture, 50.09 g crude fat, 10.37 g crude protein, 35.90 g carbohydrates, and 2.55 g ash content. The L, a, b values indicated a darker color and was stable under ambient condition with a hardness value of 59.52 N, which significantly decreased to 16.23 N within 10 min at ambient temperature (30 ± 2°C). The addition of coconut sugar along with cocoa solids incorporates polyphenols, flavonoids, antioxidant potential, and minerals into bean-to-bar dark chocolate and hence offers a commercial value and health potential for stakeholders.

Low calorie cocoa-based products: a short review

Globally, cocoa is considered an extensively consumed flavor across the food and beverage industry. However, the majority of cocoa products have a large amount of sugar and fat content. Therefore, manufacturers of cocoa-based products are focusing on the commercialization of healthier and innovative cocoa products that contain sugar and fat. High-quality and low-calorie cocoa products can be developed using the right ingredients which can replace fat and sugar without negative impact on the product characteristics. For sugar replacement nutritive sweeteners or sugar alcohols, non-nutritive sweeteners or high potency sweeteners and low digestibility carbohydrates are generally used. For fat substitution cocoa butter equivalents, cocoa butter replacers, cocoa butter substitutes along with vegetable fat and oil replacers are used. This review discusses the effect of sugar and fat substitution on the textural and rheological properties, sensory acceptance, and calorific value of the end cocoa-based products.

Effect of cocoa bean origin and conching time on the physicochemical and microstructural properties of Indonesian dark chocolate

Abstract Indonesian cocoa is cheaper and considered second grade compared with most other cocoa. However, the domestic chocolate industry is not well-developed due to significantly low consumption. To cope with these issues, product innovation through technical process improvement is required to stimulate the domestic chocolate industry. This study aimed to investigate the effect of cocoa bean origin and conching time on the physicochemical (water content, texture, color, crude fat content, and melting enthalpy) and microstructural properties of chocolate. The experiment was conducted under a completely randomized factorial design consisting of two factors: cocoa bean origin (100% fermented cocoa beans from Jember, 100% fermented cocoa beans from Southeast Sulawesi, 50% fermented cocoa beans from Jember + 50% non-fermented cocoa beans from Southeast Sulawesi, and 50% fermented cocoa beans from Southeast Sulawesi + 50% non-fermented cocoa beans from Southeast Sulawesi) and conching time (4, 6 and 8 h). The results showed that cocoa bean origin significantly affected the hardness, gumminess and color of chocolate, including the redness and yellowness level, whereas conching time affected water content, hardness, cohesiveness, elasticity, and crude fat content. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis showed that the treatment with 100% fermented cocoa beans from Jember presented higher values of Tonset, ΔHmelt and area compared with those of the treatment with 100% fermented cocoa beans from Southeast Sulawesi, which presented higher values of Tpeak and Tend. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis showed a distribution of solid and dense particles with crystal interaction with chocolate structures.

The optimization of prebiotic sucrose-free mango nectar by response surface methodology: The effect of stevia and inulin on physicochemical and rheological properties

The reduction of sugar consumption is one of the major challenges for nutritionists and food industry. Therefore, it is significant to replace sucrose with other types of sweeteners, especially, natural ones. The aim of the present study is to produce low-calorie, sucrose-free mango nectar and to optimize the formulation by employing response surface methodology. The two independent variables were stevia, as a low-calorie sugar replacer (0, 1.5, and 3% w/w) and inulin as a prebiotic texturizer (0, 3, and 6% w/w) in order to compensate sugar elimination defect on viscosity and °Brix. The fitted models indicated a high coefficient of determination. The results revealed that stevia and inulin are as the independent variables which had significant effects on °Brix, viscosity, and sensory scores (p < 0.05). Also, pH was affected by stevia concentration. The rheological behavior of the sucrose-free mango nectar was non-Newtonian, shear thinning as Herschel–Bulkley model which was not different from the reported behavior for normal mango nectar-containing sucrose. The optimization of the variables, based on the response surface three-dimensional plots, demonstrated that utilizing 6% w/w inulin and 3% w/w stevia produced the optimum mango nectar with the desirability of 0.85 without undesirable changes in the physicochemical and organoleptic properties. The optimum sample was produced in triplicate to validate the optimum model as well.