Subscriber access provided by University of Florida | Smathers Libraries
Article
Effects of Shear and Cooling Rate on the Crystallization Behavior and Structure of Cocoa Butter: Shear Applied During the Early Stages of Nucleation Pere R. Ramel, Rodrigo Campos, and Alejandro G. Marangoni Cryst. Growth Des., Just Accepted Manuscript • DOI: 10.1021/acs.cgd.7b01472 • Publication Date (Web): 07 Dec 2017 Downloaded from http://pubs.acs.org on December 10, 2017
Just Accepted “Just Accepted” manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and accepted for publication. They are posted online prior to technical editing, formatting for publication and author proofing. The American Chemical Society provides “Just Accepted” as a free service to the research community to expedite the dissemination of scientific material as soon as possible after acceptance. “Just Accepted” manuscripts appear in full in PDF format accompanied by an HTML abstract. “Just Accepted” manuscripts have been fully peer reviewed, but should not be considered the official version of record. They are accessible to all readers and citable by the Digital Object Identifier (DOI®). “Just Accepted” is an optional service offered to authors. Therefore, the “Just Accepted” Web site may not include all articles that will be published in the journal. After a manuscript is technically edited and formatted, it will be removed from the “Just Accepted” Web site and published as an ASAP article. Note that technical editing may introduce minor changes to the manuscript text and/or graphics which could affect content, and all legal disclaimers and ethical guidelines that apply to the journal pertain. ACS cannot be held responsible for errors or consequences arising from the use of information contained in these “Just Accepted” manuscripts.
Crystal Growth & Design is published by the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street N.W., Washington, DC 20036 Published by American Chemical Society. Copyright © American Chemical Society. However, no copyright claim is made to original U.S. Government works, or works produced by employees of any Commonwealth realm Crown government in the course of their duties.
Page 1 of 37 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Crystal Growth & Design
Effects of Shear and Cooling Rate on the Crystallization Behavior and Structure of Cocoa Butter: Shear Applied During the Early Stages of Nucleation
Pere R. Ramel, Rodrigo Campos, and Alejandro G. Marangoni* Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
*Corresponding author:
[email protected] 1
ABSTRACT
2
Here we investigated the effects of applied shear and temperature during the early stages of
3
nucleation on the isothermal crystallization behavior and microstructure of cocoa butter (CB).
4
Results showed that the composition of nucleating triacylglycerols (TAGs) as well as crystalline
5
microstructure and polymorphism of CB were affected by mixing and temperature gradients
6
while still in the molten state. The initial crystalline material isolated from CB after it had been
7
subjected to shear had a similar TAG composition as native CB. On the other hand, in the
8
absence of shear, high melting TAGs such as trisaturates (SSS) along with lower amounts of
9
mono-unsaturated TAGs (SUS) were present, possibly due to fractionation. After subjecting CB
10
to shear in its molten state, crystallization rates were faster due to the co-crystallization of
11
different TAGs into a mixed crystal, however, the polymorphic transition into the more stable β-
12
V form, were found to be slower due to inherent complexity in TAG composition. Under static
13
conditions, the presence of high amounts of homogenous TAGs (SSS), were correlated to faster
14
polymorphic transformations possibly due to a templating effect.
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Crystal Growth & Design 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
15
INTRODUCTION
16
The crystallization behavior and crystal structure of cocoa butter (CB) greatly affects the overall
17
properties of chocolate. CB is rich in triacylglycerols (TAGs) composed of stearic acid (S),
18
palmitic acid (P), and oleic acid (O); with POP, POS, and SOS as the TAGs with the highest
19
concentrations
20
often matched. However, besides chemical composition, processing conditions (e.g.,
21
crystallization temperature, cooling rate, shear rate) applied to CB also affect its physicochemical
22
properties
23
tempering procedure for chocolate mass consists of cooling the molten mixture to 26–28 °C with
24
agitation to induce the crystallization of cocoa butter, after which it is heated to 30–32 °C to melt
25
the unstable crystal forms present 8,9.The tempered chocolate mass is then poured into molds and
26
cooled at approximately 16 °C. This process allows for the crystallization of CB in small stable
27
β-V crystals, which are desirable for chocolate to have adequate gloss, snap, mouth feel and
28
melting properties 3,9–11.
29
Numerous studies have been conducted to understand the effect of composition and various
30
external factors on the crystallization behavior and structure of CB, and the effect of the resulting
31
crystal network on the properties and stability of chocolate products 4,5,7,12–15. These studies were
32
also carried out to understand the mechanisms behind the tempering process developed by
33
chocolatiers. During crystallization of CB, or fats in general, a phase transition occurs from the
34
liquid state to the solid state which is brought about by the supersaturation and arrangement of
35
TAGs in a crystal lattice to form stable nuclei. These nuclei will then serve as a starting point for
36
the growth and aggregation of crystal clusters, eventually forming a three-dimensional fat crystal
37
network. The crystal structure of CB has been extensively studied at different length scales,
4–7
1–4
. In the search for CB alternatives or substitutes, the levels of these TAGs are
. A very important process in the manufacture of chocolate is tempering. A typical
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 2 of 37
Page 3 of 37 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Crystal Growth & Design
38
namely, molecular level (polymorphism), nanoscale (properties of crystalline nanoplatelets,
39
CNPs), meso – or microstructure (poly-crystal aggregate size, shape, and mass distribution), and
40
macro-scale 6,7,9,13,14,16.
41
In a previous work by Campos and Marangoni 9, the importance of shear during the processing
42
of cocoa butter was shown by describing the effect of shear on the crystallization kinetics,
43
microstructure, and rheological properties of cocoa butter. Previous work on CB focused on the
44
crystal structure of CB after crystallization. However, in order to gain insights into how the
45
structures are formed during crystallization with the application of shear, it is necessary to study
46
the events that occur during the early stages of nucleation 2,17,18.
47
In this study, the crystallization behavior of CB during shearing and cooling of the melt between
48
60 and 28 °C, prior to any “observable” crystal formation, was investigated. This will allow the
49
examination of the influence of heat and momentum transfer history of the melt on the early
50
stages of nucleation and crystal growth of CB under static and dynamic (shear) conditions.
51 52
MATERIALS AND METHODS
53
Samples and processing conditions performed in the current study are based on the previous
54
work by Campos and Marangoni (2014)9.
55 56
Cocoa Butter
57
Refined Callebaut CB was used for all experiments performed (Qzina Specialty Foods Inc,
58
Toronto, ON, Canada).
59 60
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Crystal Growth & Design 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
61
Processing of Cocoa Butter
62
CB samples were placed in stainless steel beakers and melted in an oven at 60 °C for 30 min to
63
ensure that all crystal memory was erased. Samples were then transferred to a temperature
64
controlled Neslab water bath RTE-11 (Neslab, Portsmouth, NH, USA) for cooling from 60 °C to
65
28°C at 0.1, 1, and 5 °C/min. Shear was applied while cooling by using a Lightning Lab Master
66
Mixer (Lightning, Rochester, NY, USA) equipped with a radial flow impeller (2” R100 5/16”)
67
and operated at a speed of 400RPM. The radial flow impeller was chosen because it provides a
68
high shear field, with a maximum shear rate of 120s-1. Samples were processed under the
69
described shear conditions (labeled as dynamic in this work) and compared to samples processed
70
in the absence of shear (labeled as static) until a temperature of 28 °C was reached. Samples
71
were obtained and transferred for isothermal crystallization at 15, 20, 24, and 26 °C. A sampling
72
temperature of 28 °C was chosen as it corresponds to the temperature to which a chocolate mass
73
is cooled during a typical chocolate tempering procedure.
74 75
Solid fat content
76
At the sampling temperature (28 °C), approximately 3 grams of CB were placed in glass pNMR
77
tubes (10 mm diameter, 1mm thickness, and 180 mm height) and immediately transferred to a
78
water bath set at the different crystallization temperatures. It is of utmost importance to transfer
79
the samples as fast as possible to ensure that samples have reached the crystallization
80
temperature prior to taking any measurements, thereby ensuring that the kinetic analysis is done
81
under isothermal conditions. SFC readings were obtained at appropriate time intervals using a
82
Bruker PC/20 series pNMR analyzer (Bruker, Milton, ON, Canada). The sampling points and
83
duration of the experiment depended on the crystallization temperature and were as follows:
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 4 of 37
Page 5 of 37 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Crystal Growth & Design
84
every minute for 15 °C, 2 min for 20 °C, 30 min for 24 °C, and 60 min for 26 °C. Measurements
85
were taken until the SFC readings reached a plateau and the system had stabilized, reaching an
86
equilibrium SFC reading. The isothermal crystallization curves were then fitted into the Avrami
87
equation to obtain the kinetics of crystallization (Avrami crystallization constant and index)9.
88 89
Thermal Properties
90
The thermal behavior of cocoa butter samples was studied using a DSC 2910 differential
91
scanning calorimeter (DSC) (DuPont Instruments, Willington DE, USA). At the sampling time,
92
5-10 mg aliquots of cocoa butter were placed into pre-tempered DSC pans and hermetically
93
sealed. The weight was recorded. They were immediately transferred to temperature-controlled
94
incubators set at the crystallization temperatures (15, 20, 24, and 26 °C). Samples were melted in
95
the DSC after 1, 3, 6, and 12 h, 1, 3, 5, 10 and 24 days. The DSC cell was pre-tempered at the
96
crystallization temperature prior to loading the sample. After the sample was loaded, the DSC
97
cell was allowed to equilibrate for 1 min. The sample was then melted at a rate of 5 °C/min from
98
the temperature of crystallization to 60°C. The peak melting temperatures were obtained from
99
the thermograms using TA Instruments Universal Analysis 2000 V.4.2E software (TA
100
Instruments, Mississauga ON, Canada).
101 102
Powder X-ray diffraction
103 104
A high resolution XRD transmission instrument coupled with a DSC, called Microcalix was used
105
to study the polymorphism of the sample blends, while measuring the heat flux that resulted from
106
the crystallization process. The Microcalix was developed in the Laboratory for Physical –
107
Chemical Studies of Poly-phase Systems, at the University of Paris-South (92296 Châtenay –
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Crystal Growth & Design 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Page 6 of 37
108
Malabry, France). The coupled XRD recorded simultaneously at both small (q=0-0.45Å-1) and
109
wide (q=1.1-2.1Å-1) angles through two position sensitive gas linear detectors placed at 177 and
110
30 cm respectively from the sample. The detector channels were calibrated to express the
111
collected XRD data in the scattering vector q (Å-1), were q =
112
angle of incidence of X-rays relative to the crystalline plane, λ is the X-ray wavelength, d(Å) is
113
the repetition distance between two planes. The detectors were calibrated at wide angles with
114
high-purity glyceryl tristearin complemented at small angels with silver behenate standards. The
115
DSC was calibrated with lauric acid. Glass capillaries (1.4±1 mm diameter and 80 mm long)
116
were used as sample holders. The molten fat was filled into the capillary tubes with the aid of a
117
specially developed syringe as to fill the lower 15 mm of the capillary. At this level of filling, an
118
average sample size of 20 mg is expected. Samples were melted in an oven at 80°C for 30
119
minutes, after which they were placed in the sample holder. The sample holder was pre-set to
120
60°C. After sample insertion, it was cooled to 24°C at a rate of 5°C/min, after which they were
121
kept isothermally at the crystallization temperature. An XRD diffraction pattern was obtained
122
after acquiring diffraction data for a period of 1200 seconds when samples were crystallized at
123
24°C. A total of 32 patterns were obtained for each temperature. During the duration of the
124
experiment the DSC acquired data every 3 seconds.
4π sin θ
λ
=
2π , and θ(°) is the d
125 126
Microstructure
127
The microstructure of the processed CB samples was imaged by polarized light microscopy
128
(PLM). When viewed by PLM, the birefringent solid microstructural elements of the network
129
can be directly observed as white features in a black background. At the sampling temperature,
130
one droplet of the cocoa butter was rapidly placed on a pre-tempered glass slide, using a pre-
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 7 of 37 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Crystal Growth & Design
131
tempered capillary tube. A pre-tempered glass cover slip was carefully placed over the sample.
132
The cover slip was placed parallel to the plane of the microscope slide and centered on the drop
133
of sample to ensure a uniform thickness and prevent the presence of air bubbles. The prepared
134
slides were then transferred to temperature - controlled incubators for storage at the different
135
crystallization temperatures. The microstructure was imaged after 1, 3, 6, and 12 h, 1, 3, 5, 10,
136
and 28 days of storage at each crystallization temperature. At the time of imaging, the prepared
137
slides were placed on a temperature – controlled microscope stage (Linkam Scientific
138
Instruments, Surrey, UK) set at each crystallization temperature. The microstructure was viewed
139
using an Olympus BH light microscope (Olympus America Ltd., Melville NY, USA) using a 20x
140
objective lens. Images were acquired using a Sony XC-75 CCD video camera (Sony
141
Corporation, Japan) with the gain switch in the auto position. The images were digitalized using
142
Scion Image software (Scion Corporation, Fredrick, MD, USA). Two slides were prepared for
143
each time point, and at least 5 micrographs were obtained from each slide.
144 145
Seed Crystal Isolation
146
The crystalline material present at different time points was isolated from the melt for further
147
thermal and chemical analysis. The times of isolation varied with the temperature of
148
crystallization, ranging from 30 seconds to 24 h of storage. The separation was done by
149
centrifugation operated at 10,000 rpm at 22 °C of the cocoa butter aliquots in Eppendorf snap-
150
cap microcentrifuge 2 ml tubes (Fisher Scientific, Ottawa ON, Canada) using an Eppendorf
151
microcentrifuge 5410 (Brinkman Instruments Inc, Missassauga, ON, Canada). The liquid
152
fraction was decanted. The crystalline mass was washed with cold isobutanol (5°C) (Sigma-
153
Aldrich Canada Ltd, Oakville, ON, Canada). The precipitate was further washed with cold
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Crystal Growth & Design 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
154
isobutanol, for a total of 3 washings. After each washing, the solvent was separated by
155
decantation. After the last washing, the remaining solvent was allowed to evaporate in a fume
156
hood. The crystalline material was then melted and its chemical properties were characterized
157
for fatty acid composition using gas chromatography (GC) and TAG analysis using high
158
performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).
159 160
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
161 162
Effect of shear and cooling rate (applied during the early stages of nucleation) on the
163
isothermal crystallization behavior of CB
164
In order to gain insights into the effect of shear and cooling rate applied during the early stages
165
of nucleation on the crystallization behavior of CB, it was subjected to shear and different
166
cooling rates during cooling from 60 to 28 °C. After that, SFC was monitored as a function of
167
time using pNMR during isothermal crystallization at 15, 20, 24, and 26 °C. By doing so, any
168
differences observed in the crystallization behavior of CB during isothermal crystallization
169
would be a consequence of the heat, mass, and momentum transfer history of the melt or during
170
the early stages of nucleation (i.e., during the initial cooling from 60 to 28 °C).
171 172
The crystallization behavior of CB cooled statically or dynamically at different cooling rates,
173
from 60 °C to 28 °C, and then crystallizing isothermally at 24 °C, is shown in figure 1. It can be
174
observed that regardless of shear or cooling rate applied, the crystallization behavior of CB is
175
similar during isothermal crystallization at 24 °C, although slight differences (especially at 0.1
176
°C/min cooling rate) can be noted in the crystallization constant, k and Avrami index, n. In terms
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 8 of 37
Page 9 of 37 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Crystal Growth & Design
177
of crystallization temperature, however, large differences can be observed (figure 2 and table 1).
178
Crystallization at 15 °C results in relatively higher SFC during the early times of isothermal
179
crystallization than other temperatures studied. Furthermore, the maximum SFC (SFCmax)
180
reached at about 60–72 h is highest at 15 °C, followed by 20, 24 and then 26 °C (table 2).
181 182
These results show the importance of the degree of undercooling (∆T), defined as the
183
temperature difference between the melt (i.e., 28 °C) and crystallization temperature, which
184
provides the energy required to overcome the barrier for the induction of crystallization and
185
eventually increase in SFC
186
supersaturated in the melt and self-assemble to form ordered domains. As fat is further cooled,
187
lower melting TAGs also crystallize onto the pre-existing nuclei allowing for crystal growth. At
188
high ∆T, induction times are shorter as supersaturation of more TAGs is achieved faster than at
189
low ∆T. Furthermore, at low crystallization temperatures, more TAGs (high and low melting
190
ones) can crystallize resulting in higher SFCmax, while at higher crystallization temperatures,
191
only those TAGs with melting points higher than the crystallization temperature can crystallize,
192
resulting in lower SFCmax.
8,19
. During crystallization, higher melting TAGs become
193 194
Results of the crystallization of CB in time indicate that regardless of the processes applied
195
during the early stages of nucleation, the induction time for CB crystallization and SFCmax
196
remain unaffected at similar crystallization temperatures.
197 198 199
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Crystal Growth & Design 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Page 10 of 37
200
Polymorphism
201
CB polymorphs, or fat polymorphs in general, can be distinguished by their thermal properties as
202
different polymorphs have been characterized by different melting points using DSC
203
work, the peak melting temperatures of cocoa butter samples cooled under different conditions
204
and stored at different temperatures were determined and are shown in figure 3.
20
. In this
205 206
Peak melting temperatures shown in figure 3 and figure 4 indicate the presence of different
207
polymorphs of CB in time during isothermal crystallization at 15, 20, 24, and 26 °C, after
208
cooling the CB melt at different cooling rates and in the presence and absence of shear. During
209
isothermal crystallization at 15°C, it can be observed that regardless of shear and cooling rate -
210
0.1 °C/min (figure 3) or 5 °C/min (figure 4) applied during the early stages of nucleation, the
211
initial polymorph observed (at time = 1 h) was the β′-IV form, indicated by melting points
212
between 20-27°C21. According to van Malsen et. al. (1999)21 and Marangoni and McGauley
213
(2003)15, when CB is cooled to 15 °C, it initially crystallizes in the unstable α form that readily
214
transforms (after about 20 min) into the β′-IV form. However, as we were only able to sample
215
after 1 h, it is assumed that the CB samples initially crystallized in the α form and then
216
transformed into the β′-IV form within 1 h of crystallization at 15 °C. This β′-IV polymorph of
217
CB was found to be stable for up to 72 h (3 days) at 15 °C. After 3 days of storage, a dramatic
218
increase in the melting point from 27.5 to 31.7 °C was observed in samples previously statically
219
cooled at 5 °C/min (figure 4), which indicates the polymorphic transformation of the β′-IV
220
polymorph to the more stable β-V form. On the other hand, the rest of the samples (other
221
cooling rates with or without shear) transformed to the β-V form within 5 days, except those
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 11 of 37 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Crystal Growth & Design
222
cooled dynamically at 5 °C/min, which transformed at a later time, and were in the β-V form
223
after 10 days.
224 225
At 20 °C, initial crystallization of CB in the α form (with melting points between 23–24 °C)
226
followed by a solid-solid transformation to the β′-IV form was observed
227
crystallization, CB samples previously cooled either statically at 0.1 °C/min (figure 3) or under
228
shear at 5 °C/min (figure 4) were found to have an average peak melting temperature of 27.8 °C
229
(β′-IV form) while the rest of the samples were found in the stable β-V form (with an average
230
peak melting point of 30.6 °C). After 3 h of isothermal crystallization at 20 °C, all samples were
231
found in the more stable β-V form. Further increase in the melting points were observed over
232
time.
15,21,22
. After 1 h of
233 234
Crystallization of CB directly into the β′-IV polymorph from the melt at 24 °C has been reported
235
by various authors 15,21, with subsequent transformation into the β-V form within 12 h of storage.
236
In Figure 3, it can be inferred that all samples crystallized into the β-V polymorph due to the
237
high melting points (29.6 to 32.2 °C) obtained after only 1 h of isothermal crystallization at 24
238
°C. However, upon further examination of the crystallization of CB at 24 °C under static
239
conditions using X-ray diffraction (Figure S1), it can be observed that cocoa butter crystallizes
240
initially in the α form when cooled at 5 °C/min, which transforms into the β′-IV polymorph in
241
time. A possible explanation for the presence of high melting peaks after only 1 h of isothermal
242
crystallization at 24 °C could be that at this high temperature, only high melting TAGs of CB
243
crystallize initially in their metastable β′-IV form.
244
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Crystal Growth & Design 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
245
Similar to crystallization at 24 °C, CB samples crystallized at 26 °C had melting points of
246
roughly 29-30 °C (initially around 1 h), indicative either of the presence of the more stable β-V
247
form21, or an increase in the crystallinity of such Form V. A significant increase in melting point
248
was observed between 6 h and 3 days. It is believed that such an increase in melting point
249
corresponds to a transformation from the form V to form VI, which has a melting temperature in
250
the range of 33.8 and 36.3 °C 20.
251 252
These results suggest that although very small differences in polymorphic transitions can be
253
observed (CB samples cooled at different temperatures), the processes applied during the early
254
stages of nucleation can affect the dynamics of polymorphic transformations of CB during
255
isothermal crystallization. There is an indication that static cooling of CB results in a faster
256
transition of the β′-IV form to a more stable β-V form than those previously cooled under shear,
257
particularly under cooling rates of 5 °C/min at 15 °C (figure 4).
258 259
Microstructure
260
Among the different structural levels of a fat crystal network, microstructure has been reported to
261
greatly affect the macroscopic properties of fats and fat products such as spreadability, hardness,
262
mouthfeel
263
rates and shear during cooling from 60 to 28 °C, and then crystallizing isothermally at 15, 20, 24,
264
and 26 °C was monitored in time (from 1 h to 28 days).
14,19,23,24
. The resulting microstructure of CB after subjecting it to different cooling
265 266
Micrographs in figure 5 show the effect of conditions applied during pre-crystallization (0.1
267
°C/min statically - figures 5A-F vs 5 °C/min dynamically, i.e., with shear - figures 5H-N), on the
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 12 of 37
Page 13 of 37 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Crystal Growth & Design
268
changes that occur in time during isothermal crystallization at 15 °C. Granular (needle-like)
269
crystals were observed after 1 h of crystallization (figure 5A and 5H), regardless of the cooling
270
rate or shear applied to the melt (0.1 °C/min statically vs 5 °C/min dynamically). At this time
271
point (1 h), the SFCmax had been reached, resulting in a very high-density crystalline network.
272
However, in time, large crystals (round, spherulitic crystals) emerged on top of the initially
273
observed granular crystals which further grew throughout 28 days of storage. After 28 days,
274
these large crystals reached sizes of about 500-600 µm (figure 5F-G, 5M-N). The observed large
275
spherulites are consistent with the morphologies previously reported elsewhere15. It should be
276
noted that the time point at which these large crystals start to appear was affected by the cooling
277
rate and shear applied during the early stages of nucleation. Individual large crystals start to
278
appear at 3 h when samples were subjected to high cooling rates and/or shear during the pre-
279
crystallization cooling of the melt (figure 5J), whereas for samples cooled statically at 0.1 °C/min
280
these round spherulitic structures were not observed until after 3 days of storage (figure 5D).
281
Relating these results to polymorphism, the β′-IV polymorph was present in all treatments after 1
282
h at 15 °C, which corresponds to the dense granular microstructure observed. With time,
283
transformation to the stable β-V form was observed (between 3-5 days). It is believed that the
284
development of the large round spherulitic microstructures is related to the polymorphic
285
transformation from the β′-IV to the β-V form.
286 287
Micrographs in figure 6 show the effect of various conditions applied during pre-crystallization
288
on the microstructure of CB, especially after 28 days of isothermal crystallization at 20 °C. In a
289
previous work by Marangoni and McGauley (2003)15, it was found that after 1 h of isothermal
290
crystallization at 20 °C, β′-IV granular crystals formed clusters that increased in size and evolved
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Crystal Growth & Design 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
291
into bigger microstructures. These microstructural changes were also observed in the current
292
study, i.e., relatively smaller crystals after 1 h of isothermal crystallization, (figure 6A and 6B)
293
that grow into larger structures in time, regardless of the pre-crystallization conditions applied
294
(0.1 and 1 °C/min under shear). After 6h of isothermal crystallization (5 °C/min with shear),
295
areas of significantly higher crystalline mass or clusters were formed over the existing
296
continuous granular crystals (figure 6C-D). At 5 °C/min, 0.1 °C/min, and 1 °C/min, all with
297
shear, and then isothermal at 20 °C for 3 days, 5 days, and 10 days, respectively (figure 6E-G),
298
distinct crystals emerge and grow, having a small granular center with layers of featherlike
299
structures. At 28 days, even though similar large microstructures were observed in all treatments
300
(i.e., static or dynamic, slow or fast cooling), more rounded clusters with small granular centers
301
and a large portion of featherlike structure layers were observed when cooling under static
302
conditions (figure 6H-J). On the other hand, under shear, more clusters of granular morphology
303
with a layer of small featherlike structures were observed (figure 6I).
304 305
At higher crystallization temperatures, 24 and 26 °C, similar microstructures can be observed
306
with or without shear and different cooling rates. During isothermal crystallization at 24 °C,
307
large differences in the microstructure relative to lower temperatures were observed (figure 7).
308
At 24 °C (5 °C/min statically), very small spherical crystals can be initially observed (figure 7A-
309
B). After 6 h of isothermal crystallization, small clusters of needle-like crystals continue growing
310
(figure 7C-F). Furthermore, areas of high crystalline concentration seem to result from the
311
continuous growth of the clusters of needle crystals to the point where they impinge into one
312
another (figure 7G). The appearance of large crystals with featherlike structures is also noted
313
(figure 7I-J). At 26 °C (figure 8), similar initial crystal structures (needle-like clusters) to that of
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Page 14 of 37
Page 15 of 37 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
Crystal Growth & Design
314
24 °C can be observed (figure 8A-E). Between 1 and 3 days, with or without shear, respectively,
315
larger crystals were formed, with granular centers and featherlike structures emerging from their
316
centers (figure 8F-G). As time elapsed, these crystals continued to grow and reached sizes large
317
enough to be observed by the naked eye (figure 8H-L). For this reason, micrographs obtained at
318
a lower magnification were included (figure 8M-R).
319 320
Upon crystallization at 24 and 26 °C the β′-IV polymorph forms directly from the melt, rather
321
than via the α form, as for the case of 15 and 20 °C 15,21. At 24 and 26 °C, the initially observed
322
morphology is that of clustered, needle-like structures, whereas at 15 and 20 °C, a granular
323
morphology was observed. With time, the melting points of all samples increased as they
324
transformed to the stable β-V form. The β form has varied morphologies that range from granular
325
to needles, to crystal aggregates and then to very large microstructures with featherlike crystals
326
15
327
observed. However, it must be noted that regardless of the fact that the samples ended in the β
328
polymorphic forms, the microstructures created were highly dependent on the path followed to
329
get there (especially at lower temperatures). These microstructures will most probably have an
330
effect of eventual final product quality when incorporated into chocolate. Interestingly, these
331
changes were induced by affecting the mass and temperature transport properties of the CB melt
332
prior to actual crystallization.
. Changes in the microstructure can then be correlated with the polymorphic transformations
333 334
Microstructural characterization of the CB crystals during isothermal crystallization at different
335
temperatures shows that the processes applied during the early stages of nucleation affect initial
ACS Paragon Plus Environment
Crystal Growth & Design 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
336
crystalline mass and transformation of small granular crystals to larger ones (higher and faster
337
transition with the application of shear especially at higher temperatures).
338 339 340
Chemical Composition of the Isolated Crystals
341
To determine whether differences exist in the composition of the crystals formed initially, the
342
fatty acid (FA) profile of native CB, along with those crystals isolated from the samples of CB
343
isothermally cooled at different crystallization temperatures, after treating CB to different shear
344
and cooling rate conditions.
345 346
The FA profile of native CB statically cooled from 60 to 28 °C at 0.1, 1 and 5 °C/min and then
347
isothermal at 20 °C for 5 min, are shown in table 2. Native CB used in this study, consists of
348
mainly palmitic (C16:0), stearic (C18:0), and oleic acid (C18:1), and smaller concentrations of
349
linoleic (C18:2) and arachidonic (C20:0), which corresponds well with levels found in the
350
literature. Comparing this FA profile with that of isolated crystalline materials obtained from
351
previously statically cooled CB, at different cooling rates, and then isothermally crystallized at
352
20 °C, no significant differences were observed (P