Cocoa‐butter long spacings and the memory effect

Abstract

Abstract Depending on the maximum temperature before cooling, cocoa butter recrystallizes in the β(V) and/or β(VI) phase. In order to obtain structural information on the seed material initiating this recrystallization process, experiments with cocoa butter were performed at a small‐angle X‐ray scattering station. Crystallization of cocoa butter at various crystallization temperatures provided long d ‐spacing values ( d >45 Å) that can be attributed to the polymorphic phases. From the recrystallization experiments it is concluded that the seeds initiating rapidstarting recrystallization have an 1,3‐distearoyl‐2‐oleoylglycerol‐dominated triple chain‐length packing. Furthermore, the β(VI) phase of cocoa butter seems to adopt a similar packing. The seed crystals that initiate the slow‐starting recrystallization and result in the β(V) phase are likely to be different from those giving the β(VI) phase.