Ethylcellulose-Stabilized Heat Resistant Chocolate

Heat resistant chocolate was developed by adding ethylcellulose (EC) solubilized in ethanol to molten chocolate and thereafter evaporating the ethanol. The hardness of the chocolate was found to be dependent on the chocolate formulation and concentration of EC. Mechanical testing, molecular dynamics simulations, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that hydrogen bonding between sucrose and EC were responsible for the formation of a network within the chocolate that provided mechanical strength at elevated temperatures. These methods also showed that lecithin, typically found at the surface of sucrose in chocolate, reduced heat resistance by impeding EC-sucrose interactions. However, fluorescence microscopy revealed that the ethanol used to prepare the chocolate could remove some of the lecithin from the sucrose. A solvent-free method of introducing EC to food systems was developed by producing thixotropic EC oleogels. Thixotropy was achieved by matching the Hansen hydrogen bonding solubility parameter of the oil phase to that of EC. These methods represent novel strategies to introduce EC as a functional ingredient to food systems.