Neil Widlak

Causes and Best Manufacturing Practices to Minimize Bloom in Confections

Publisher Summary Fat bloom is directly related to the fat in chocolate products, either Cocoa Butter (CB) or vegetable oils. Its commercial impact is significant. Although records of its economic impact due to lost sales and rework are not revealed, most confectioner manufacturers and food manufacturers consider it an important quality defect with a significant impact on profits. There is definitely a commercial incentive to better control, minimize, or eliminate fat bloom in confections. This chapter discusses the current knowledge of fat bloom, its causes, and what manufacturers can do to avoid it. The understanding of the chemical and physical properties of cocoa butter and confectionery fats can be applied to understand the possible mechanisms that may provide an actionable explanation of fat bloom formation. Based upon the multiple possible factors for bloom, when trying to identify a cause, it is important to review the entire process, from formulation through distribution, to identify the causes and take appropriate corrective action. Fat bloom cannot be studied as an independent event that occurs in confections. Each ingredient and process step influences the crystal behavior.

Future of Cocoa Butter Research

Publisher Summary Chocolate and confection are the largest commercial applications for cocoa butter. This chapter presents that it seems that better quality and healthier chocolate can be manufactured by incorporation of nutritional additives into the chocolate matrix of the cocoa butter. Vitamins, nutraceuticals, etc., can be now introduced into the chocolate without causing any severe taste and organoleptic alternations. The use of novel natural carriers will facilitate such improvements. Expansion of global markets of both cocoa butter and compound coatings would have a strong influence on the future research of cocoa butter and other confectionery fats. While the market opportunities in mature confectionery markets might differ from market opportunities in developing confectionery markets, both markets share similar technical challenges. Overcoming barriers to market growth due to technical gaps, and not the gaps themselves, would differentiate research priorities between the two markets.