Characteristics of Cocoa Butter

Cocoa butter is a unique, simple fat containing mainly mono-unsaturated and di-unsaturated glycerides. It has a typical composition of 26% palmitic acid (16 0), 36% stearic acid (18 0), 33% oleic acid (18 1) and 3% linoleic acid (18 2), although there are slight variations in composition 

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Chaiseri, S. and Dimick, P. S. (1989). Lipid and hardness characteristics of cocoa butters from different geographic regions. Journal of the American Oil Chemists Society, 66(12) 1771-1776. 

These are fats rich in symmetrical disaturated TAGs which behave like cocoa butter in all respects, and are able to mix in all proportions with cocoa butter. The desirable characteristics of cocoa butter are due to the SOS TAGs (S = saturated) which provide suitable melting point and solid fat content to give rapid melt in the mouth and cooling sensations. Palm mid-fraction (PMF), which has high contents of POP, is easily formulated with other SOS fats for chocolate products (Berger 1981). About 70%-80% PMF with 20%-30% shea or sal stearin, or 60%-65% PMF with 20%-30% shea or sal stearin and 15%-20% illipe are suitable for plain and for milk chocolate with 15% milkfat. Compatibility of cocoa butter (CB) and CBE is affected by addition of milkfat and its fractions into the product (Sabariah etal. 1998). Eutectic interactions between anhydrous milkfat (AMF), CBE and CB were noticeable due to different polymorphism encountered in these fats. 

In chocolate, cocoa butter is the continuous phase. The characteristic meltabiUty of cocoa butter constitutes a puzzle in chemical stmcture and poses difficulty in replacement cocoa butter has a sharp melting point at body temperature. 

Siace cocoa butter is a natural fat, derived from different varieties of cocoa beans, no single set of specifications or chemical characteristics can apply. Codex has attempted to define the physical and chemical parameters of the various types of cocoa butter (14) (Table 5). 

Cocoa butter NF is defined as the fat obtained from the seed of Theobroma Cacao Linne (Family Sterculiaceae) (44). Cocoa butter softens at 30°C and melts at 34°C. It contains four different forms alpha, beta, beta prime, and gamma with melting points of 22°C, 34°C to 35°C, 28°C and 18°C, respectively. The beta form is the most stable and is desired for suppositories. The biggest challenge with the polymorphism of cocoa butter is the impact of the manufacturing process on the characteristics of the suppository itself. When cocoa butter is hastily melted at a temperature greatly exceeding the minimum required temperature and then quickly chilled, the result is metastable crystalline form (a crystals), which may not even... 

Many consumers also wish to be made aware of any genetic modification to the crop. Genetic modification might be beneficial for cocoa butter production as the characteristics of the butter could be modified in the growing bean, and also resistance to pests and diseases might be introduced to the plant. Analytical methods are required to detect such modification, in both the raw materials and the processed product. 

Table 7 lists the oxazoles and thiazoles identified in the sample of cocoa butter. They were present only in roasted cocoa butter. The sensory characteristics of these compounds shown in Table 7 indicated that oxazoles and thiazoles possessed interesting green, fatty, sweet, and nutty sensory qualities and were high-impact flavor... 

Mishra MU et al. prepared rectal suppositories of mesalamine by using Sal fat and evaluated several important in vitro characteristics by comparing with the suppositories composed of cocoa butter as standard base. Their findings indicated that Sal fat can be a novel and cost effective suppository base for pharmaceutical formulations. 

The WECOBEE oils are a series of triglycerides derived from edible vegetable oils. They exhibit most of the desirable features of cocoa butter, but few of its shortcomings. The WECOBEEs are extremely uniform in composition and exhibit excellent mold release characteristics. They have been widely used as cocoa butter replacements. 

The dry mango stone consists of a 1 1 ratio of shell and kernel. Wide variations were found in the content, characteristics and composition of seed and fat of 43 varieties of mango fruit. The seed in fruit ranges between 3 and 25% and kernel in seed from 54 to 85% on an as is basis (Lakshminarayana et al., 1983). The total lipid consists of 96.1% neutral and 3.9% polar lipids (2.9% glycolipids and 1.0% phospholipids) (Hemavathy et al., 1987). The dry mango kernel from India contains 3.7-13% of a cream-colored oil with a melting point of 34-43 C and iodine value of 32-57. Its physical and chemical characteristics are very similar to that of cocoa butter. 

Many researchers have studied the effect of lipid composition and polymorphism on macroscopic rheological properties but have not sufficiently considered the importance of the microstmcture of the network. Depending on the source and the refining process, the chemical composition of cocoa butter may vary (Dimick, 1999). This has been shown to influence crystallization rates and hardness characteristics. Within the microstmctural level, the polymorphic form of cocoa butter has been shown to affect the shape and size of the crystals (Vaeck, 1960). In terms of final product quality the polymorphic form of the crystals will determine melting characteristics. However, lipid composition and polymorphism alone cannot be used to predict the macroscopic properties of a fat crystal network. 

Table 3 Characteristic Short Spacmgs as Determined by XRD for the Various Polymorphic Forms of Cocoa Butter...

Figure 2 Overlay of three characteristic melting profiles obtained by DSC (a) of the different polymorphic forms of cocoa butter. Melting curves of cocoa butter statically crystallized at (b) 0°C, (c) 20°C for 6 days and (d) —20°C for 2 days are also shown. 

Figure 4 Characteristic X-ray diffraction patterns of the various polymorphic forms of cocoa butter crystallized at (a) —20°C for 2 min, (b) 5°C for 2 min, (c) 5°C for 5 days,...

Gupuacu is an Amazonian forest tree from Para state, Brazil. The fruits are 15-25 cm in length, 10-12 cm in diameter, and weigh between 0.8 and 2 kg. They are oblong fruits with a hard skin. The seeds contain caffeine and theobromine, alkaloids with stimulant properties. The seeds contain about 48% of a white fat similar to cocoa butter. The creamy-white pulp has an attractive and characteristic aroma and flavour. The fruits are consumed mainly as juice. 

Although cocoa as a drink is now rather unfashionable, it provides the raw material for the manufacture of chocolate and is commercially very important. Cocoa (or cacao) is derived from the roasted seeds of Theobroma cacao (Sterculiaceae), a tree widely cultivated in South America and West Africa. The fruits develop on the trunk of the tree, and the seeds from them are separated, allowed to ferment, and are then roasted to develop the characteristic chocolate flavour. The kernels are then separated from the husks, ground up, and processed in various ways to give chocolate, cocoa, and cocoa butter. 

Stearic acid is a long chain SFA present, to varying degrees, in virtually all edible fats and oils. Table IV provides the fatty acid composition of fats and oils commonly consumed by humans. The most abundant food sources of stearic acid in the American diet are beef fat and cocoa butter (chocolate). Cocoa butter is valued by chocolate manufacturers because it remains solid at room temperature but dissolves quickly at body temperature, a unique characteristic of chocolate that is due largely to stearic acid. During the last few decades as cocoa butter prices and supplies have fluctuated, food companies began looking for alternative oils that could provide equivalent amounts of stearic acid in order to retain the desirable physical characteristics. Several... 

Triacylglycerols are the most important components of both cocoa butter and CBAs. In cocoa butter they are responsible for the characteristic rapid... 

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