Crystallization and rheological properties of soya milk chocolate produced in a ball mill

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to define the optimal conditions for the pre-crystallization of chocolate produced in a ball mill, that contains 20% soya milk. Chocolate mass and soya milk are refined in a ball mill employing three refining times (30, 60 and 90 min) and pre-crystallization temperatures (26, 28 and 30 °C). Increasing the refining time leads to organized chocolate systems with soya milk. The nucleation time of the system refined for 90 min and pre-crystallized at 30 °C is three times longer compared to that pre-crystallized at 26 °C. By prolonging the refining time, the system becomes dominantly viscous due to the refining and homogenization (tanδ > 1). Taking into consideration all three parameters, i.e., viscosity, yield stress and the area of the thixotropic loop, a refining time of 90 min at the pre-crystallization temperature of 30 °C seems optimal. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.