The functionality of chocolate is based on specific properties including how it flows. Cocoa butter and lecithin are two ingredients that help to control the flow properties of melted chocolate. Lecithin is an emulsifier that has been the preferred method of providing yield stress and viscosity control while reducing production costs by decreasing the amount of cocoa butter needed to achieve similar flow results. In this industrially oriented study, soy, sunflower, and dairy lecithin were compared by quantifying interfacial and rheological properties of lecithin in dark chocolate. Each lecithin source was added up to the 1.0% limit, which is the emulsifier maximum set forth by the Code of Federal Regulations. The compositions of each lecithin source were analyzed for total phospholipid composition, which were used to normalize data based on the total added phosphatides added for all samples. Differences in both phosphatide composition and fatty acid composition were found. Both interfacial tension between oil and water phases and contact angle between a cocoa butter drop and flat sucrose crystal surface decreased as the phosphatide concentration increased for each lecithin source. In terms of rheology, the yield stress first decreased with increasing lecithin content and then began to increase, whereas plastic viscosity continually decreased with addition of lecithin. Significant differences were seen for the different lecithin sources, even when compared on an equivalent phosphatide content. No correlations were found between interfacial properties and yield stress; however, direct correlations were found between both interfacial measures and plastic viscosity.
