Butter and Confectionery Fats

Infrared and Raman spectroscopy techniques have also been shown to be of value in determining oil authenticity, particularly when based on the degree of saturation (Aparicio and Baeten, 1998 Bertran et al., 2000), but these methods have not yet been substantially applied to cocoa butter and confectionery fats. 

Bystrom, C.E., and Hartel, R.W. (1994). Evaluation of milk fat fractionation and modification techniques for ereating eoeoa butter replaeers. Lebens. Wissen. Technol. 27, 142-150. Chapman, G.M., Akehurst, E.E., and Wright, W.B. (1971). Cocoa butter and confectionery fats. Studied using programmed temperature x-ray diffraetion and differential scanning calorimetry. J. Amer. Oil Chemists Soc. 48, 824-830. 

Similar to cocoa butter replacers but generally based on coconut and palm kernel oils. See also cocoa butter alternatives, cocoa butter and confectionery fat. 

Chapman, GM, EE Akehurst, WB Wright, (1971). Cocoa butter and confectionery fats. Studies using programmed temperature X-ray diffraction and dEferential scanning calorimetry. J Am Oil Chem Soc 48 824-830. 

The main current potential application of lipase-catalyzed fat-modification processes is in the production of valuable confectionery fats for instance, alternative methods of obtaining cocoa-butter equivalents by converting cheap palm-oil fats and stearic acid to cocoa-butter-like fats. The reaction is executed in a water-poor medium, such as hexane, to prevent hydrolysis. At least one commercial apphcation exists. Loders Croklaan (Unilever) has an enzymatic interesterification plant in Wormerveer, the Netherlands. Many other new potential applications of lipases have been proposed of which some will certainly be economically feasible. Examples and details can be found in chapter 9 of this book. 

The non-cocoa fats used in confectionery are mixtures known as cocoa butter alternatives (CBAs), of which the most important are cocoa butter equivalents (CBEs). These are formulated from non-hydrogenated fat fractions with a tri-acylglycerol composition almost identical with cocoa butter and which are miscible with cocoa butter in all proportions. Other alternative fats such as cocoa butter replacers (CBRs) and cocoa butter substitutes (CBSs) are used, particularly in the manufacture of specialized forms of chocolate application such as coatings. 

Little information has been published on the climatic and geographical factors affecting the composition of CBA fats. It can be assumed, however, that components which vary in cocoa butter with location, etc., also change in other confectionery fats, although these effects are nullified somewhat by refining and fractionation. Comprehensive details of the acylglycerol and fatty acid composition of illipe butters from several Shorea species are presented with description of cultivation and harvesting in Blicher-Mathiesen (1994) and some details of the cultivation and uses of shea have been described by Ruiz Mendez and Huesa Lope (1991). 

Yella Reddy, S. and Prabhakar, J.V. (1989) Confectionery fats from sal (Shorea robusta) fat and Phulwara (Madhuca butyracea) butter. Food Chem., 34, 131-139. 

As a result of the similarity in the chain length and the molecular weight, products of this type can tolerate up to 25% cocoa butter on a fat basis when used in a confectionery coating. 

Numerous minor components including phospholipids (0.05-0.13%), tocopherols (200 m kg), flavours and hydrocarbons have been determined. The diglyceride content of cocoa butter (1.5-2.5%) has been compared with the diglyceride level and composition of other confectionery fats (Fincke, 1982), see also Table 3.143. 

The relatively high price of cocoa butter has resulted in the development of a number of lower priced confectionery fats (Gordon et ai, 1979 Thomas and Paulicka, 1976 Soeters, 1970). 

Among other techniques, reversed-phase TLC has been successfully applied to the separation of triacylglycerols, while silver-ion TLC has become one of the standard methods for the determination of cocoa butter equivalents in confectionery fats TLC has been used successfully in conjunction with matrix-assisted laser desorption—ionization mass spectrometry, as well. Theory and applications of TLC in lipid analysis have been reviewed by Christie and Han and others in books and reviews, to which the reader is referred [11,36—38]. 

Sorbitan esters of fatty acids are effective antibloom agents (fat crystal modifiers) in confectionery products containing cocoa butter and cocoa butter substitute. In chocolate, the undesirable bloom is inhibited by the use of sorbitan esters of fatty acids. Chocolate has a dull gray-white appearance when it has... 

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