Chocolate demoulding and effects of processing conditions Original Research Article

Traditional chocolate manufacturing relies largely on the experience and skill of the chocolatier. Nowadays, with the replacement of manual processes with automated equipments, it is increasingly important to apply right processing conditions and controlling parameters, such as the time, the temperature, the moisture content, the relative humidity of the surrounding air, etc. This study investigated the influences of these factors during the moulding and cooling stage of chocolate manufacturing process on the ease of demoulding. Adhesion of chocolate to the polycarbonate mould surface was used as a measure for the demoulding properties, and was determined as the force required to separate a flat mould surface from the solidified chocolate sample. The results demonstrated that processing parameters, like temperature, contact time, and the relative humidity of the surrounding environment, have a significant impact on chocolate crystallization and solidification processes and on the adhesion of chocolate to a mould surface. Experimental findings from this work confirmed observations made during commercial chocolate manufacturing.