Effects of dried bergamot peel powder on the structural properties of dark chocolate

ABSTRACT EFFECTS OF DRIED BERGAMOT PEEL POWDER ON THE STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES OF DARK CHOCOLATE SARIGÜL, Hazal M.Sc. in Food Engineering Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ali Rıza TEKİN May 2019 62 pages Functional chocolate is a new trend that the food-grade ingredients are used in and is preferred by consumers due to flavour or other beneficial nutritive constituents. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of dried bergamot peel powder on the structural properties of dark chocolate such as the solid fat content, melting point and textural and sensory properties of chocolate. Bergamot peel powder has been added to dark chocolate with the percentages of 0.75%, 1.00%, and 1.25%. The melting points of the three samples did not change significantly on DSC plots and were around 32°C which was the same melting temperature of the standard dark chocolate. At the 0th, 15th, 30th and 365th days, melting points were in the range of 31.3°C – 32.5°C. SFC analysis results of bergamot dark chocolate samples showed that % solid fat content were not significantly different at different temperatures. Hardness of the chocolate samples were analyzed by Texture Analyzer and the analysis showed that the bergamot dark chocolate samples were harder than the standard dark chocolate. The reason for this is thought to be the reduction in the percentage of cocoa mass added to chocolate recipe and the fibrous nature of bergamot peel. The samples were evaluated by trained panellists. In this sensory analysis, a difference in flavour was clearly perceptive between the standard sample and bergamot chocolate samples. All the panellists noted that the bergamot flavour was felt dominantly on all three samples. Consequently, use of bergamot peel powder at minimal ratios didn't affect the melting point and solid fat content of chocolate, but it increased the hardness and strengthened the flavour on a severe level. Key Words: Bergamot, Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Cocoa, Sensory Analysis