Potential for mango butter emulsion gels in chocolate, say researchers

Mango butter is a known cocoa butter equivalent that has similar properties to cocoa butter.

Researchers at India’s National Institute of Technology and Jadavpur University say that mango butter’s capacity to mimic cocoa butter can be improved when included as a water-in-oil type emulsion. Their study was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.​

Cheaper and more effective​

“Since mango seeds are considered as waste in food industries, its cost is much lower than cocoa butter,”​ Dr. Kunal Pal, assistant professor at the National Institute of Technology’s Department of Biotechnology & Medical Engineering, told ConfectioneryNews.

“Mango butter emulsion gels allow us to reduce the brittle nature of the chocolates, thus making it more malleable when put into mouth. It will improve the texture of the formulations and there will be a feel-good factor amongst the consumers.​

“Also, emulsion gels, in general, allows delivery of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs and may open-up a new domain of therapeutic chocolates.”​

Chocolate and CBEs​

Cocoa butter alternatives are often used by the industry as a part replacement of cocoa butter.

Cocoa butter equivalents (CBEs), such as shea butter, palm oil and mango butter, have a similar physicochemical nature to cocoa butter as opposed to cocoa butter substitutes, which have a different chemical composition. CBEs are permitted at levels up to 5% in chocolate in the EU.

Mango butter​

The researchers chose to analyze mango butter as it has a similar fatty acid profile to cocoa butter. Mango seeds are generally discarded as agroindustrial waste, but mango seed kernel can be used to extract mango butter.

The Indian researchers prepared emulsion gels of both cocoa butter and mango butter and compared the two.

“Results inferred that the physical, thermal, and mechanical properties of mango butter emulsion gels are comparable to those of cocoa butter emulsion gels,”​ found the study.

“On the basis of the observations, it was suggested that the mango butter emulsion gels may have potential to be used as cocoa butter equivalents in food and pharmaceutical industries,”​ it concluded, adding that the emulsion gels needed first to be tested for microsafety issues.

Source: ​​
J. Agric. Food Chem., 2014, 62 (47), pp 11357–11368
DOI: 10.1021/jf502658y​
‘Mango Butter Emulsion Gels as Cocoa Butter Equivalents: Physical, Thermal, and Mechanical Analyses’
Authors: Sai S. Sagiri, Vijeta Sharma, Piyali Basak, and Kunal Pal