Discussion Period (Q&A)

Practical Aspects of the Eutectic

Effect on Confectionery Fats
and Their Mixtures
One important consideration is the interaction and
compatibility of the fats that are used in the
formulation and their resultant which is the amount
of solids that remain in the fat system at a given
temperature.
INTRODUCTION
People buy confectionery products because they are a food source
that provides a simple but pleasurable sensation in a convenient and
appealing presentation.
The gustative response derives
from the combination of flavor attributes, released through a complex sequence of melting and dissolving events in combination with
textural sensations, which are inseparable and probably equally important, to establish the overall
characteristic of the product.
The esthetic of the confectionery
item is a visual invitation to the
pleasant experience which cannot
be ignored.
The objective of the manufacturer is to make products that deliver these desirable qualities to the
consumer.
Fat is one of the most influential
elements on the quality perception
of those confectionery
products

Giovanni L. Bigalli
Hershey
Foods Corp.
in collaboration
wth Robert D.
Houseal, Jr. and Dennis
Eichelberger
66

which are constituted at least in

part by chocolate or confectionery
coatings. It is responsible for much
of the snap, gloss, appearance,
mouthfeel and flavor release and at
the same time it influences production activities, shelf-life and storage
condition requirements. The technologist has to take into account
these factors for the development
of products. One important consideration is the interaction and compatibility of the fats that are used in
the formulation and their resultant
which is the amount of solids that
remain in the fat system at a given
temperature.
This presentation
deals with practical observations of
this physical behavior and how the
solid/liquid ratio is affected when
two fats are mixed by design or by
accidental interaction.
MELTING BEHAVIOR OF FAT
MIXTURES
After two substances are melted
together, they have the tendency to
solidify at a lower temperature than
either one of the two components;
the mixture also melts in the same
manner. That behavior defines the
eutectic mixture (from the Greek
Eutektos:
easy melted).
This
property is characterized by phase
diagrams which are graphic representations of conditions of equilibrium between the liquid and solid
phases in a system. This type of
interaction is also observed in fat
mixtures and defines one of the
criteria for the degree of compatibilityy for the two fats.
42nd

The blend of the fats maybe produced by formulation, but could

also occur by migration of oils between items of a multicomponent
system. The resultant is a change of
the melting behavior.
The study of the phase behavior
of fat mixtures is not a simple issue.
Significant contributions
to this
subject were made by Paulikalz
who proposed phase diagrams as a
graphic means for illustrating the
degree of compatibility of cocoa
butter extenders and by Timmss,A
who studied the phase behavior of
several fat mixtures and contributed several reviewss,e,T that included his observations
on the
subject.
During the development of phase
diagrams, the physical property
that is often measured is the melting point. In pure compounds this
measurement is a basic property.
Fats are mixtures of many compounds and do not exhibit a clearly
defined melting temperature. Their
melting point determination is dependent
on the experimental
method and thus is considered an
empirical property.
SOLID FAT CONTENT
A related property of fats is determined
by the proportion
of
liquid and solids at different temperatures.
The characteristic
is
probably easier to relate to practical applications in products. The
standard procedure for many years
has been the Solid Fat Index (SFI)
by AOCSB which is an empirical
measure of the solid fat content
using dilatometry. Although it has
been the industrys standard, the
result is not an accurate indication
of the total solid but an Index. An
equivalent
method by IUPACg
does not make the attempt to convert the values of dilatometric measurements into an index and exP. M.C. A. Production

Conference,

1988