Improved stability of hazelnut containing chocolates to bloom

Chocolates containing nuts are particularly prone to bloom formation. The oil in the nuts migrates to the surface of the chocolate and becomes visible as bloom.

The objective of this research project is to identify the factors that affect bloom formation along the whole production chain. The quality of the raw materials, the roasting of the hazelnits, and the process used to manufacture the nut-containing chocolates influence the tendency of the nut oil to migrate and form bloom. As part of the project, the raw material selection will be optimized to reduce bloom formation.

A rapid test will be developed to estimate the mobility of the nut oil and its tendency to migrate. This will allow the parameters for the nut roasting process to the optimized and the effects of the manufacturing process to be determined. The extent to which the mobile oil influences the crystallization of triglycerides on the chocolate surface will also be studied. The project results will be able to be transferred to other types of nuts having a similar triglyceride composition.

Small and medium sized companies (SMEs) will in particular benefit from the project results and will gain competitive advantages due to optimization of their raw material selection and improved process and product monitoring.