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Imaging Technologies and Data Processing for Food Engineers pp 311–333Cite as

Microstructural Imaging of Chocolate Confectionery

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Part of the book series: Food Engineering Series ((FSES))

Abstract

High-quality chocolate appears smooth and shiny to the naked eye. Yet under the microscope, its topography is surprisingly rough, comprising a diversity of micro-scale structural features. Snapping chocolate in two reveals a solid-like particulate material consisting of cocoa butter fat acting as the cement for dispersed particles made of finely ground, roasted cacao seed, sugar and milk powder (if milk chocolate). It is the composition, processing and resulting microstructure of this mixture that are critical to yield a final product with a defined range of sensory and physical properties, including a smooth, melt-in-the-mouth texture, glossy surface and firm snap. In this regard, confectionery manufacturers now realise the importance of microscopy tools to understand, control and optimise confectionery formulations and shelf life. This chapter describes the application of four microscopy techniques used to characterise the surface and internal microstructure of chocolate, namely atomic force microscopy, environmental scanning electron microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy and optical profilometry. It is demonstrated that these techniques are complementary and help to provide significant insights on the structural organisation of the fat phase and dispersed particulates present.

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Acknowledgements

The author recognises funding from various government and industrial sources that have made this work possible. The contributions of Drs. Supratim Ghosh, Nicole Green and Sopark Sonwai are acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria St, KHE 327C, M5B 2K3, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Dérick Rousseau PhD

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  1. Dérick Rousseau PhD
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Correspondence to Dérick Rousseau PhD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Espoo, Finland

    Nesli Sozer

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Rousseau, D. (2016). Microstructural Imaging of Chocolate Confectionery. In: Sozer, N. (eds) Imaging Technologies and Data Processing for Food Engineers. Food Engineering Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24735-9_10

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