Changes in the physical state of sucrose during dark chocolate processing.

Dark chocolate tablets were manufactured using 100% crystalline sucrose, 50% crystalline and 50% amorphous sucrose, and 100% amorphous sucrose. The physical state of sucrose was determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction. DSC scans of dark chocolate samples containing amorphous sucrose were characterized by a glass transition at 63 degrees C, a sucrose crystallization peak at 105 degrees C, and a melting endotherm at 188 degrees C. Independent of the amount of amorphous or crystalline sucrose used for the preparation of dark chocolate, all final chocolate products provided a single melting endotherm at 188 degrees C and a crystalline X-ray diffraction pattern. These results indicated that sucrose crystallized during production of dark chocolate and that no amorphous sucrose was present in the final chocolate products.