Microstructural and rheological behavior of buffalo milk chocolates

The development of products with buffalo milk has increased due to its peculiar characteristics, such as taste and high content of total solids, which has attracted consumers and the food industry.In this context, the objective was to develop and evaluate the microstructural properties of chocolates with different concentrations of buffalo milk powder (0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%) through polymorphism, microscopy and rheological studies. For the polymorphism, the X-ray diffraction technique (XRD) was performed, while the crystal morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The addition of levels of more than 10% buffalo milk caused notable changes in XRD diffractograms, demonstrating the appearance of different polymorphic forms. Microscopy analysis revealed changes in the structure of the matrix with an increase in the concentration of buffalo milk, presenting more continuous surfaces, associated with milk proteins, which have emulsifying capacity. The Herschel-Bulkley model adequately described the flow behavior of the formulations. There was an increase in all rheological properties (yield stress, viscosity, thixotropy and loss tangent (tang δ)) in chocolates with higher concentrations of milk. For that, the composition of the milk influences the degree of structuring of the chocolate. Considering this technological information, it is important to highlight that the production of buffalo milk chocolates shows potential for technological innovation.