Cocoa-butter long spacings and the memory effect

Depending on the maximum temperature before cooling, cocoa butter recrystallizes in the beta (V) and/or beta (VI) phase. In order to obtain structural information on the seed material initiating this recrystallization process, experiments with cocoa butter were performed at a small-angle X-ray scattering station. Crystallization of cocoa butter at various crystallization temperatures provided long d-spacing values (d > 45 Angstrom) that can be attributed to the polymorphic phases. From the recrystallization experiments it is concluded that the seeds initiating rapid-starting recrystallization have an 1,3-distearoyl-2-oleoyl-glycerol-dominated triple chain-length packing. Furthermore, the beta (VI) phase of cocoa butter seems to adopt a similar packing. The seed crystals that initiate the slow-starting recrystallization and result in the beta (V) phase are likely to be different from those giving the beta (VI) phase.