Rice bran wax effects on cocoa butter crystallisation and tempering

The effects of up to 5 wt% rice bran wax (RBX) on the crystallisation, tempering and storage stability of cocoa butter (CB) and a model dark chocolate were assessed. Presence of RBX significantly accelerated tempering and the formation of the desirable form V polymorph in CB. The form V to VI transition in both CB and chocolate was slowed in the presence of RBX during temperature-cycling, with addition of 1 wt% wax effectively reducing the extent of bloom formation in model chocolate following two weeks of temperature-cycling from 25 to 29 °C. Overall, this study has shown that RBX may be considered a viable seed material to accelerate tempering of CB and retard fat bloom in chocolate.