Chocolate - Emulsifiers

6 important questions on Chocolate - Emulsifiers

Why are emulsifiers or surface active ingredients (surfactants) added in chocolate?

To make the coating of hydrophilic sugar and other solid particles easier with hydrophobic fat.

What is the most active ingredient in lecithin?

Phosphatidylcholine. It is an emulsifier with a small hydrophilic head and 2 hydrophobic tails.

What happens to the yield stress and viscosity when an emulsifier is added?

  • The particle interaction is decreased (as the particles are covered better) and the yield stress will be lowered.
  • It also lowers the viscosity, but to a much smaller extent.
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What happens when too high concentration of lecithin is added?

The surface of the sugar particles cannot handle anymore. The lecithin will have to stay somewhere else
  • multilayers around the sugar particles --> larger sugar particles --> increases the viscosity
  • formation of inverted micelles (with hydrophobic parts outside) --> additional dispersed particle and interact with sugar particles --> hinder the flow --> increase the viscosity

What is the maximal amount of lecithin on sugar particles dependent on?

The particle size of the sugar particles

How does the addition of surface active agent PGPR change the yield stress?

  • At very low concentrations the decrease of yield stress can be compared to the addition of lecithin.
  • At higher concentrations, it has the ability to turn chocolate into a Newtonian liquid.

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