Oxidation stability is an important quality criterion of chocolate as it provides information about the long-term stability of the product. Cocoa contains various flavonoids that act as antioxidants. The most important and common flavonoids are catechin, epicatechin, and procyanidin. Although the flavonoid content may vary amongst chocolate type, it can be said, the greater the cocoa content in the chocolate, the greater the antioxidant effect.
Chocolate cannot be measured directly with the classical Rancimat method, as no evaluable induction time is obtained. There are many reasons for this, for example a too low fat content or various matrix effects. Traditionally, extraction of the fat from the chocolate using e.g., petroleum ether is therefore necessary.
In this Application Note, the oxidation stability of white, milk and dark chocolate with varying cacao content is determined in without extraction. Instead, polyethylene glycol is used as conducting medium.