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Abstract Chocolate is a delectable sweet enjoyed all over the world. Made from dried cocoa beans, through the process of roasting, grinding, and conching, chocolate is known for its taste and flavor. Although the sugar content of chocolate is limiting its reach to the health-conscious population, chocolate is endowed with immense medicinal benefits. The major ingredient of chocolate, cocoa, Theobroma cacao L., is a plant known as the “Food of the Gods” due to the abundance of polyphenols present in it. Processing conditions and parameters affect the polyphenol stability. Roasting process conditions affect the polyphenols of cocoa beans, especially the epicatechin and procyanidin. The variety of cocoa beans, quality and presence of fat, sugar, emulsifiers, drying time, and temperature are the important influencing factors affecting the polyphenol content of chocolate. Chocolate possesses antioxidant, antidiabetic, anticancer, anti–inflammatory, and good mood food properties but it is also shown to be prebiotic and helps in alleviating the symptoms of Alzheimer’s and heart disease. The functional properties of chocolate can be enhanced by the addition of certain foods/ functional ingredients. This paper reviews the role of chocolate as a functional food, the effect of processing on polyphenols, and the recent developments in improving the functional properties of chocolates through fortification.

Chocolates can be formulated as a functional food via enrichment with probiotics. However, the added probiotics must overcome the challenges of processing and storage conditions and the harsh gastrointestinal environment. The study aimed to overcome these challenges using two different formulations of cocoa powder as alternative encapsulants along with Na‐alginate (A1) and Na‐alginate and fructooligosaccharides (A2). Seven different probiotic strains were encapsulated individually using the new formulations and viabilities of these encapsulated probiotics were assessed prior to and after they were added to chocolates. The highest achieved encapsulation efficiencies were 93.40% for formulation A1 (with Lactobacillus casei) and 95.36% for formulation A2 (with Lactobacillus acidophilus La5). The encapsulated probiotics with the new formulations maintained higher viability than the recommended therapeutic level (107 colony forming unit [CFU]/g) for up to 180 and 120 days of storage at 4 and 25 °C, respectively. The tested encapsulants improved probiotics survival when subjected to thermal stress and maintained about 9.0 Logs CFU/g at 60 °C. Additionally, the viable numbers of probiotics in fortified chocolates showed higher than 7 Logs CFU/g after 90 days of storage at 25 °C. Both formulations exhibited significantly (P < 0.05) high survivability of probiotics (8.0 Logs CFU/g) during the in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. This study demonstrated that cocoa powder along with Na‐alginate and FOS has the potential to be used as a probiotic encapsulating material, and chocolates could be an excellent carrier for the development of healthy probiotic chocolate products. Practical Application: The introduction of cocoa powder as an effective encapsulating agent to deliver probiotics could help the chocolate industry to develop healthy and attractive functional snacks for health‐conscious consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Abstract An alternative chocolate processing method, which can be applied by small-scale chocolate industries in cocoa producing countries, is highly needed. This work investigated the impact of processing variables and lecithin concentration on the rheological behaviour and microstructural characteristics of dark chocolate produced by means of a ball mill coupled with a liquefier device. Three experimental variables, namely ball size, milling time and lecithin concentration were studied. To investigate the degree of cocoa butter released from the cocoa particles during the chocolate production, two different cocoa sources, which had different level of cocoa butter, namely cocoa mass and cocoa powder, were used as ingredient. As references, chocolates were also conventionally produced using a combination of a planetary mixer, roll-refiner and conche. The results showed that regardless of the lecithin concentration, ball size, milling time and their interaction were the most decisive experimental variables in the milling process. Furthermore, lecithin concentration, ball size and milling time as well as their interactions highly influenced the rheological behaviour of the chocolates. Moisture and free fat content of the chocolates were comparable regardless of the processing method and the type of cocoa used. Regardless of the cocoa source, Casson yield values of the chocolates produced by alternative processing were higher than those of the chocolates produced by conventional processing, while Casson viscosities were relatively similar. Highlights • Chocolate was produced using a combination of ball mill and liquefier device. • Irrespective of the cocoa source and shearing system, all chocolates had comparable free fat content. • Viscosity parameters were influenced by particle size and surface morphology of the solids. • Microstructure images showed the solid particle arrangement in the chocolate suspension. • Liquefaction process was important to create homogeneous chocolate mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of different processing stages of dark and milk chocolate samples on their thermal properties was investigated. The ingredients of chocolates were investigated too. Thermal behavior was evaluated by means of thermogravimetry (TG) and first-derivative thermogravimetry (DTG). The measurements were made at a temperature range of 50-700 °C with a heating rate of 10 °C min−1. TG and DTG are thermal techniques, which have been taken advantage of research cocoa liquor, sugar, and cocoa butter in chocolates during the different processing stages. The obtained results evidenced possibility of indicating differences between milk fat and cocoa butter contribution and content of cocoa liquor and sugar which differ for dark and milk chocolates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comminution of the solid contents during chocolate manufacture is an important process that affects physical and sensory properties of the final product. In this study, size reduction was achieved either by multiple passages through a roller refiner, or by agitated ball milling. Particle analysis revealed that size distributions but also particle size geometry and surface is affected by refining intensity and refiner type. The current results demonstrate that it is especially refining intensity that can be used to target rheological properties of chocolate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White chocolate does not contain fat-free cocoa solids and thus lacks bioactive components. In the present study, white chocolate was enriched with encapsulated blackberry juice in concentrations: 60 g kg −1 , 80 g kg −1 , and 100 g kg −1 . The results showed an increase of volume weighted mean in enriched chocolates with increasing the concentration of encapsulate from 13.06 μm in white chocolate to 18.05 μm in chocolate with 100 g kg −1 of encapsulate. Casson viscosity of chocolate mass increased at the same time (from 0.63 Pa in white chocolate to 1.22 Pa in chocolate with a maximum concentration of encapsulate) due to an increase of specific surfaces of solid particles in chocolate. Internal structure and surface gloss in chocolate with 100 g kg −1 of encapsulate are also affected where the lack of free fat phase caused mat color on the surface. However, the addition of encapsulated blackberry juice to white chocolate led to the creation of new type of enriched chocolate with attractive color and blackberry taste. Total polyphenol content (mg GAE/100 g) of white chocolate is increased from 40.75 to 75.06, 145.86, and 153.95 in chocolates with 60 g kg −1 , 80 g kg −1 , and 100 g kg −1 of encapsulate, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aroma, taste, shine, snap, smoothness, 'melt-in-your-mouth' sensation, and texture are all qualities that define chocolate, and all depend on how the cocoa and the chocolate itself are processed. Postharvest handling of the cocoa (fermentation, drying, cleaning, storage, and transport) and its transformation into chocolate (roasting, grinding, conching, tempering, molding, and the addition of core and other ingredients), as well as the packaging, storage, transport, and refrigeration of the finished product all have an important influence on the characteristics of chocolate. The aim of this review was to identify and study the key factors, including microbiological aspects that affect the quality of chocolate, from harvesting the beans right up to the manufacture of the finished products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theobroma cacao L. species ( Malvaceae family) comprises a large number of varieties: Criollo is a high value, fine flavour type of cocoa, used to produce high quality chocolate products. Flavour, together with taste, is certainly the most important attribute of chocolate: it is the reason of the global success of this product. Whilst the fine flavour attributes depend on the quality of the raw starting material, the aroma compounds typical of this product are developed during its manufacturing process. The volatile emission profiles of each step of the Amedei Srl processing chain of Blanco de Criollo , a very appreciated variety of cocoa, from the raw seeds to the packaged product, were analysed by means of HS-SPME coupled with GC–MS. Pyrazines, esters and aldehydes represent the most important aroma-active compounds identified in all the samples. The multivariate statistical analysis of the results was performed and the PCA biplot evidenced the grouping of the samples based on the phase of the processing chain they belong to. To the best of our knowledge, there are no other published studies on the volatile profiling of the entire processing chain of any kind of cocoa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rate-all-that-apply (RATA) is a variant of check-all-that-apply (CATA) questions that allows assessor to rate the intensity of selected attributes. Compared to CATA, RATA has the potential to improve sample description and discrimination, and might be more useful when only a small number of assessors are available. Before advocating its use with confidence, investigations on the method validity and reproducibility are necessary. Within this context, this short paper examined the reproducibility of results obtained by RATA within a test–retest paradigm, drawing on data from a case study involving sensory assessment of common defects in chocolate production. Criteria considered were within-assessors reproducibility, attribute stability, and configurational agreement between samples spaces obtained across replicated evaluations. The results showed that although within-assessors reproducibility was moderate, RATA exhibited a very good reproducibility at panel level, as indicated by the high configurational agreement between product maps obtained from individual replicates. The method showed a good reproducibility also at the level of individual attributes. Indications were obtained that the reproducibility of RATA with semi-trained subjects might be similar to that of a simple checklist, in spite of the addition of the intensity rating step. Overall, the work presented in this short paper supports the validity of RATA as a sensory profiling tool, and suggests that its application with semi-trained assessors may be particularly advantageous for industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new formulation of the central ideas of Boden's well-established theory on combinational, exploratory and transformational creativity is presented. This new formulation, based on the idea of conceptual space, redefines some terms and includes several types of concept properties (appropriateness and relevance), whose relationship facilitates the computational implementation of the transformational creativity mechanism. The presented formulation is applied to a real case of chocolate designing in which a novel and flavorful combination of chocolate and fruit is generated. The experimentation was conducted jointly with a Spanish chocolate chef. Experimental results prove the relationship between appropriateness and relevance in different frameworks and show that the formulation presented is not only useful for understanding how the creative mechanisms of design works but also facilitates its implementation in real cases to support creativity processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cacao tree ( Theobroma cacao L.) is the only source for the key raw material in chocolate manufacturing. However, fresh cocoa seeds do not develop any chocolate flavour during chocolate manufacturing because they do not contain the precursors necessary. The latter are formed only during the fermentation process that the seeds are subjected to in the countries of origin. During this in most cases spontaneous fermentation of the fruit pulp surrounding the seeds, the pulp is degraded by yeasts and bacteria. This degradation results in heat and organic acid formation. Heat effect and tissue acidification are the key parameters guiding flavour precursor formation. Accordingly, not microorganisms themselves but exclusively their metabolites are necessary for successful fermentation. In the present study we subjected fresh cocoa seeds to three types of fermentation-like incubation with defined amounts of acetic acid, controlled temperature regime and in the absence of microorganisms. All raw cocoa samples were of high reproducible quality as determined by biochemical quality parameter analysis. We conclude that control of the heat effect and the acidity is the reason for these quality characteristics and that application of this technique may permit standardization and mechanization of cocoa fermentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the suitability of Stephan mixer for use as conche during small-scale chocolate production in an attempt to reduce cost and processing time. Molten chocolate was processed using the Stephan mixer under different temperature and time combinations and Buhler Elk'Olino conche (as reference), and the flow properties (Casson plastic viscosity, Casson yield stress and thixotropy) were studied using a shear-rate-controlled rheometer. Optimum settings of 65 °C for 10 min at 443 g dry conching followed by 50 °C for 15 min at 443 g wet conching in the Stephan mixer resulted in similar flow properties as the reference sample. Increasing the blade rotary speed for both dry and wet conching resulted in a decrease in flow properties. The Stephan mixer proved to be suitable for conching small-scale (approximately 1 kg) chocolate productions and could be explored as a fast and cost-effective method for small-scale chocolate conching processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dark chocolate containing phytosterols (PS) esters was developed to reduce cholesterol in individuals. However, oxidative instability during chocolate processing and storage could reduce the PS bioactivity. Chocolate bars were prepared containing palm oil (CONT) or 2.2 g of PS (PHYT). All samples were stored at 20 °C and 30 °C during 5 months. A peak of hydroperoxides formation was observed after 60 days at 20 °C and after 30 days at 30 °C. PS-enriched samples presented higher values of hydroperoxides than control samples, which could be attributed to the higher level of alpha-linolenic acid present in the PHYT samples. All chocolate bars became lighter and softer after 90 days of storage. However, these physical changes did not reduce their sensory acceptability. In addition, PS bioactivity was kept during the storage, since no significant alterations in the PS esters were observed up to 5 months. However, some PS oxidation occurred in the PHYT bars, being sitostanetriol, 6-ketositosterol, 6β-hydroxycampesterol and 7-ketocampesterol the major phytosterol oxidation products (POPs). The POPs/PS ratio was low (0.001). Therefore, the dark chocolate bars developed in this study kept their potential functionality after 5 months of storage at room temperature, representing an option as a functional food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]