The SAXS recipe for the smoothest fully plant-based chocolate: understanding crystallization of complex mixtures of triacylglycerides

The EU chocolate market was worth around $45 billion in 2022. However, this business can have a negative environmental impact since 1kg of chocolate has a global warming potential of 2.91-4.15kg CO2 eq., primary energy demand of 30-41 MJ and water footprint of 31-63L. The main contribution for this carbon footprint comes from the raw materials (milk powder, cocoa derivatives and sugar). For this reason, chocolate manufacturers are exploring novel solutions to replace or reduce the amount of these ingredients in chocolate. Cocoa butter and milk fat equivalents (CBE, MFE) are mixtures of triglycerides extracted from different plant-based sources that resemble these two fats in their physical properties. In this project we will use SAXS and WAXS to investigate the crystallization behaviour of commercial CBEs and MFEs, both on their own and mixed with cocoa butter. Our investigation can enable rational design of novel, sustainable chocolate recipes and the related manufacturing processes.