Effects of different emulsifiers and refining time on rheological and textural characteristics of compound chocolate.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility of producing reduced fat dark compound chocolate in the ball mill refiner and using some selected emulsifiers. The effects of selected emulsifiers including lecithin, Polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) and citrem in two levels and two refining times on the characteristics such as moisture, particle size, hardness and rheological properties of the samples was examined. Data analysis revealed that the Casson model was appropriate to describe the rheological behavior of the samples containing lecithin and citrem; however, Power law model was appropriate for the samples containing PGPR. The results showed that citrem is the most effective emulsifier to reduce hardness and rheological parameters such as apparent viscosity; casson viscosity and casson yield value and using citrem as a part of formulation in the production of reduced fat dark compound chocolate can solve many technological problems.