Ethylcellulose solvent substitution method of preparing heat resistant chocolate

Abstract

In the present study a structuring technique was developed to produce chocolate which resists deformation at temperatures above 40°C. It was hypothesized that by adding ethylcellulose (EC) solubilized in ethanol (EtOH) to chocolate and evaporating the EtOH an organogel could be formed in situ with the fat phase of the chocolate. Heat resistant chocolate (HRC) was produced by mixing a 20% EC in EtOH solution with molten chocolate. The EtOH was evaporated and the resulting chocolate was incubated at 40°C for 2h and tested for hardness. The effect of various EC viscosities (4, 10, 20, 22, and 45cP) and concentrations ranging from 1.0 to 2.2% on different types of chocolates was studied. Milk chocolate containing 1.9% EC had a hardness of 26.0N whereas the control chocolate was too soft to be tested. Further experiments revealed that white and dark chocolates had hardnesses of 29.5 and 10.5N, respectively. The hardness of the chocolate was dependent on the chocolate formulation and concentration of EC, and independent of EC viscosity. It was observed that the addition and evaporation of EtOH from the compound milk chocolate samples led to an increase in the lightness of the chocolate surface if the EtOH was evaporated at temperatures of 40°C or higher. Addition of EC to chocolate represents a new strategy for the manufacture of HRC. Future work should focus on determining the mechanism by which heat resistance is achieved in these chocolates.