Empleo de emulsificantes en la elaboración de chocolate en base a cacao ecuatoriano de la Región Norte de la Amazonía

Abstract

The use of food stabilizers has grown in the market due to their ability to replace fats in food processing by offering lower calorie alternatives. The objective of this study was to use two types of ingredients in the production of chocolate with Ecuadorian cocoa, using beeswax and carnauba wax in different percentages, 0 %, 0.2%, 0.5%, 0.8% (beeswax) and 0 %, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.8% (carnauba), evaluating the influence of fats on the texture, nutritional composition and sensory acceptance of the chocolate. The chocolate preparation process included raw material procurement, roasting, shelling, grinding, formulation, conching, tempering, moulding and packaging. The data obtained from the various analyses were treated statistically by analysis of variance and Tukey's test with a 95% level of certainty and a 5% level of error. It was identified that carnauba wax at 0.1% maintains the texture of the chocolate at 30 °C storage, higher values do not benefit this physical characteristic, the use of beeswax at the highest percentage studied of 0.8% provides the highest texture at 30 °C storage, the sensory characteristics were statistically not modified by the use of the two emulsifiers and on the contrary the chocolates presented pleasant fruity or floral characteristics; finally, there were no significant statistical differences in the fat and protein results, but there were significant differences in the sugar content, where we observed less presence of these nutrients as the two types of waxes were increased. We can conclude that the chocolates comply with the food standards that make them fit for human consumption.