Kristallisation von Kakaobutter und Schokoladenmassen

Crystallization is the most critical step of the chocolate poduction process and for chocolate quality. For the continuous solidification of chocolate products three steps are needed: nucleation, precrystallization and cooling crystallization. The rate of nucleation is influenced by the chemical composition and the origin of cocoa butter, by temperature and by shearing forces within the cooled melt. The precrystallized liquor already contains fat crystals but shows a liquid consistency. According to DSC measurements the solid fat content reaches values between 0.2 and 2% of fat in tempered masses. The main part of solidification occurs within the cooling tunnel. During this step more or less stable crystal modifications are formed. The quality of the cooling process influences the fat bloom resistance of the products.