What does it take to make a better chocolate filling? Our lab work produces a new concept
We often get inquiries from customers who are interested in finding a better way of adding a chocolate filling to croissants and other pastries prior to baking.
Right now, these fillings are typically available as solid chocolate sticks, which are placed in the dough either by machine or by hand. A common quality issue is the chocolate seepage from each end of a croissant during the baking process. Once exposed, the chocolate often gains a burnt off-flavour as a result.
We went in search of a solution in our lab.
Apart from developing a solution that was bake stable, another wish we had was to make it pumpable for ease of use on processing lines.
Mixing chocolate with water
After numerous tests, we came up with a new chocolate filling concept made with just 20% chocolate, mixed with water, syrup and an alginate-pectin stabiliser blend.
For us, it was a major breakthrough to find a way to mix chocolate with water and still obtain a final product that is shiny and stable.
Put to the test
Our bakery trials show the filling stays inside the pastry during baking. And, in trials with tarts, where the filling is completely exposed, we have found no evidence of a burnt off-flavour. In fact, compared to chocolate sticks, the taste experience is richer and smoother.
(left: Standard high-chocolate filling, right: Alginate-pectin stabiliser blend)
On the processing line, the highly viscous consistency enables injection into pastries just like a fruit filling, with no need of extra equipment at any stage.
We think our concept could be a kick-start to new market opportunities. Because it contains just 20% chocolate, we are pretty sure there are some good cost savings to be made, too!
For our concept, we used GRINDSTED® FB 840 Stabiliser System from DuPont™ Danisco®.
Wow! Great! it caught my interest!!! Is this stabilizer just applied for neutral products? Because when I made a fruit filling preparation for bakery products, our customers have always asked soft texture and strong heat-resisting property. I gonna ask it~!
Dear Jay Thank you for your comment. No GRINDSTED®FB840 Stabiliser System is also use for fruit fillings with lower pH .Not only neutral systems. We use it for better pumpability. However, to obtain a good bakestability it is important to have the right relation between calcium and the stabiliser. A good start for you to test will be 1,2% GRINDSTED®FB840 Stabiliser System together with 0,13-0,15% Tricalcium dicitrate, tetrahydrate. Calcium content needs to be adjusted depending on fruit type and % in your fruit filling Best regards Grethe
wow! The answer comes quick as a flash. May I ask more deeply? 30% fruit(puree) content, 70bx, and pH is 3.50. cooking time 180degree 8min. what is the best formula?
Dear Jay We have an apricot recipe with 71% Brix . In this one we have 1.2% GRINDSTED®Stabiliser System FB 840 and 0,13% calciumcitrate ph 3.6 . It is wery close to your recipe, so this is my best suggestion. Remember that part of the sugar should be substituted with glucose sirup to prevent crystallisation. syrups with high DE gives better bakestability when you have high solids. Enjoy your cooking BR Grethe
Interesting Article and knowledgeable.!! I would like to know about Grindsted FB 840 stailser system that I could incorporate in my chocolate fillings. Could you send us a representative recipe shwing % of each ingredient and Grindsted FB 840. Looking for your kind response. Chandrakant mOrde