Functionality of cocoa butter equivalents in chocolate products

Although cocoa butter (CB) is an ideal fat for the use in chocolate, limited supply, high demand and fluctuating prices lead the industry to look for alternatives. In the present study, physicochemical properties of commercially available cocoa butter equivalents (CBE) and hard palm mid fraction (PMF) are compared with those of CB. Subsequently, their functionality in real and compound chocolate was evaluated. CBE and PMF contained a comparable (12.0-13.8 %) but significant lower amount of POSt compared to CB (38.7 %). Differences in nonisothermal crystallization and melting profile were observed between CB and CBE. The two-step isothermal crystallization at 20 A degrees C showed that the nucleation started earlier as the StOSt content increased. No significant differences were observed in melting behavior between the reference chocolate (Choc(REF)) and the chocolates with partial replacement. Hardness was significantly higher for Choc(REF). Differences in flow behavior were demonstrated in yield stress, but plastic viscosity of all chocolate products was similar. Although instrumental analyses defined differences, the trained panel and consumers had difficulties to distinguish the chocolate products produced from CBE.