Effect of micro-aeration on the mechanical behaviour of chocolates and implications for oral processing

Bikos, Dimitrios; Samaras, Georgios; Cann, P. M.; Masen, Marc Arthur; Hardalupas, Y.; Hartmann, Christoph; Vieira, Josélio; Charalambides, M.N.

doi:10.1039/d1fo00045d

Cited by 20 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 91 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…A 3D micromechanical numerical model (micro-FEM) was developed using Abaqus with pores dispersed in the chocolate matrix to simulate the micro-aerated chocolate samples. As reported by Bikos et al , 8 the average pore size found in micro-aerated chocolate with either 10% and 15% porosity is approximately 40 μm. Therefore, random pore topology coordinates were created using Macropac (MacroPac, Oxford Materials, UK) within a cubic domain to control the porosity of the resulting modelled micro-aerated chocolate samples.…”

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 73%

“…This could for example be in the form of interfacial resistance between the pore and chocolate matrix or due to the presence of a third phase within the chocolate itself. In our previous work, 8 a third “ unknown ” phase is reported at the interface of the chocolate matrix and the pore as evidenced by X-ray tomography images on micro-aerated chocolate of 15% porosity, which could be responsible for changes in the bulk thermal properties, such as the specific heat capacity observed by the DSC measurements.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Micro-aeration has been utilised in chocolate systems as a method to modify textural attributes such as hardness, crumbliness, grittiness, and stickiness. 8,15 The micro-pores inside the chocolate system are found to have an average diameter of 40 μm, which is of the same scale as other ingredients found in chocolate such as cocoa solids and sugar particles. A micro-pore suspension is developed inside the chocolate by injecting gaseous N 2 before the moulding process, when the chocolate is already tempered.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…For a detailed description of the manufacturing process and the micro-aeration process, the reader is referred to Bikos et al 2021. 8 The chocolate geometries were further modified using a razor saw to a final dimension of 50 mm length ( L ), and 8 mm in width ( W ) and height ( H ), as shown in Fig. 1.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A micro-pore suspension is developed inside the chocolate by injecting gaseous N 2 before the moulding process, when the chocolate is already tempered. It has been shown that micro-aeration of chocolate significantly affects mechanical properties such as Young's modulus, fracture toughness, and friction coefficient 4,8 but there is no data available that relates the thermal properties of chocolate, such as thermal conductivity, latent heat, and specific heat capacity to the level of micro-aeration of the chocolate. These thermal properties are important parameters to determine the chocolate thermal response under transient thermal loading conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Experimental and numerical evaluation of the effect of micro-aeration on the thermal properties of chocolate

et al. 2022

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 73%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Experimental and numerical evaluation of the effect of micro-aeration on the thermal properties of chocolate

et al. 2022

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Vegan and sugar-substituted chocolates: assessing physicochemical characteristics by NMR relaxometry, rheology, and DSC

Torregrossa,

Cinquanta,

Albanese

et al. 2024

Eur Food Res Technol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The main physicochemical characteristics of novel artisanal chocolates (both dark and milky) intended for vegan consumers or for those requiring assumption of fewer simple sugars, were analysed. Replacement of milk (with coconut copra, almonds, and soy protein isolates), and sucrose (with coconut sugars, stevia and erythritol, respectively) in dark chocolate, were accounted for by means of texture analysis, rheology, water activity, fatty acid composition, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and fast field cycling (FFC) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry. The vegan sample (i.e., the milk-less one) showed lower values of hardness and adhesiveness as well as a larger peak in the melting behavior at the calorimetric evaluation (DSC). Moreover, the absence of milk resulted in the halving of the yield stress and a decrease in both the apparent and Casson’s viscosity. In the sample of chocolate with less sucrose, the peak temperatures measured at the DSC indicate crystallization of cocoa butter in its best form (Vβ2), unlike in dark chocolate, due to the different sugar composition. Similarly, the Casson yield stress (τ0), increased significantly (almost 70%), with the substitution of sugar. Finally, the results of NMR FFC relaxometry made it possible to identify aggregates of different sizes, laying the basis for its use as a rapid, non-destructive method for chocolate analysis.

show abstract

Destructive and non-destructive mechanical characterisation of chocolate with different levels of porosity under various modes of deformation

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Chocolate exhibits a complex material response under the varying mechanical loads present during oral processing. Mechanical properties such as Young’s modulus and fracture stress are linked to sensorial attributes such as hardness. Apart from this link with hardness perception, these mechanical properties are important input parameters towards developing a computational model to simulate the first bite. This study aims to determine the mechanical properties of chocolate with different levels of micro-aeration, 0–15%, under varying modes of deformation. Therefore, destructive mechanical experiments under tension, compression, and flexure loading are conducted to calculate the Young’s modulus, yield, and fracture stress of chocolate. The values of Young’s modulus are also confirmed by independent ultrasonic mechanical experiments. The results showed that differences up to 35% were observed amongst the Young’s modulus of chocolate for different mechanical experiments. This maximum difference was found to drop with increasing porosity and a negligible difference in the Young’s modulus measurements amongst the different mechanical experiments is observed for the 15% micro-aerated chocolate. This phenomenon is caused by micro-pores obstructing the microscopic inelastic movement occurring from the early stages of the material’s deformation. This work provides a deeper understanding of the mechanical behaviour of chocolate under different loading scenarios, which are relevant to the multiaxial loading during mastication, and the role of micro-aeration on the mechanical response of chocolate. This will further assist the food industry’s understanding of the design of chocolate products with controlled and/or improved sensory perception.

show abstract

Effect of micro-aeration on the mechanical behaviour of chocolates and implications for oral processing

Abstract: Aeration in foods has been widely utilised in the food industry to develop novel foods with enhanced sensorial characteristics. Specifically, aeration at the micron-sized scale has a significant impact on...

Cited by 20 publications

References 91 publications

Experimental and numerical evaluation of the effect of micro-aeration on the thermal properties of chocolate

Experimental and numerical evaluation of the effect of micro-aeration on the thermal properties of chocolate

Vegan and sugar-substituted chocolates: assessing physicochemical characteristics by NMR relaxometry, rheology, and DSC

Destructive and non-destructive mechanical characterisation of chocolate with different levels of porosity under various modes of deformation

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About