The impact of grinding intensity on particle properties and rheology of dark chocolate

Comminution of the solid contents during chocolate manufacture is an important process that affects physical and sensory properties of the final product. In this study, size reduction was achieved either by multiple passages through a roller refiner, or by agitated ball milling. Particle analysis revealed that size distributions but also particle size geometry and surface is affected by refining intensity and refiner type. The current results demonstrate that it is especially refining intensity that can be used to target rheological properties of chocolate.