New Chocolate Technology: Melt-Resistant Chocolate

By John M. Sedlak

Good news for the kid out on a hot playground with a chocolate bar in his pocket or the woman with a chocolate snack in her purse!

Food scientists have found that by adding 10 percent cornstarch to cocoa, the chocolate melting point was elevated to 122F(50C). Conventional chocolate tends to melt in the range of 77-86F(25-30C).

The news was reported by Rachel Pepling in Chemical & Engineering News, August 21, 2006, p. 248. She lists the original source as the July issue of British Food Journal (2006, 108,451).

Gelatin was also tried as a thickening agent for chocolate, and the melting point was raised to 113F(45C). The cornstarch-modified chocolate gave a taste sensation comparable to milk chocolate. The gelatin modification did not fare as well in taste tests.

It’s. too soon to know how successful the modified chocolate will be in the marketplace.

John M. Sedlak has a Ph.D. in physical chemistry. A native New Englander, he now lives in Shreveport, LA, and writes about scientific and technical topics. He holds 12 patents in the areas of chemical synthesis and electrical measurement technology.

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