COCO-FIT: functional fat from bambangan kernet fat stearin as cocoa butter improver for tropical applications

This project produced a cocoa butter improver (CBI) by fractionating pure bambangan seed fat and blending it with cocoa butter to assess its impact on cocoa butter properties. Various attributes, including physicochemical properties, fatty acid composition, solid fat content, and compatibility of the produced stearin with cocoa butter, were evaluated through analytical analysis, gas chromatography, and pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance. Twelve physical blends were prepared from the pure bambangan seed fat and the stearin with cocoa butter, with the proportion of cocoa butter increased by 20 %. Among these blends, COCO-FIT (bambangan stearin) improved the thermal properties of cocoa butter at a blending ratio of 20% COCO-FIT and 80% cocoa butter. No significant changes were observed in the physicochemical properties of cocoa butter, indicating that the fat is compatible with cocoa butter. The solid fat content shifted towards higher temperatures, with COCO-FIT improving the gradual decrease in solid fat content of cocoa butter towards 30 °C to 35 °C. These blends melted at body temperature, reached 0 % SFC at 40 °C, and showed ideal compatibility without eutectic effects. Therefore, COCO-FIT presents as a novel cocoa butter improver to improve the hardness and melting properties of chocolate in tropical climates.