Real‐time X‐ray powder diffraction investigations on cocoa butter. III. Direct β‐crystallization of cocoa butter: Occurrence of a memory effect

Abstract

Abstract Direct β‐crystallization of different samples of cocoa butter has been investigated. The influence of the thermal history of cocoa butter on its phase behavior is defined as a memory effect. The chemical composition of cocoa butter has been related to the occurrence of the short‐term β‐memory effect via statistical analysis of the results. We explain how this effect can be attributed mainly to stearic acid and its related triacylglycerols. The total phase behavior of cocoa butter is discussed on the basis of the results obtained from the series of three papers of which this is the last.