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Abstract
Recent changes to the standards that define chocolate have made it possible to lower the cost to manufacture chocolate thereby increasing profitability for manufacturers. In this study, cocoa butter alternatives and polysaccharides were investigated for their affects on thermal behavior and final textural properties. The inclusion of these non-traditional ingredients may offer potential cost-savings to a chocolate producer that may improve profitability; however, the care must be taken in order to avoid detriment to product quality. Kinetics of crystallization are altered through the addition of alternatives to cocoa butter, leading to variations in crystalline state and final properties. The addition of polysaccharides to chocolate results in enhanced stability of fat in the chocolate, which will likely result in enhanced resistance to lipid oxidation and increased shelf stability.