ELECTRORHEOLOGICAL BEHAVIOR OF MILK CHOCOLATE

Electrorheology is an area of study that evaluates changes in flow pro perties upon the application of an electric field. Electrorheological fluids generally exhibit an increase in apparent viscosity and a great er yield stress over an unelectrified sample. The phenomenon requires an electric field, polar particles in suspension, and an insulating oi l. Milk chocolate meets these criteria and displays unique behavior wh en exposed to an electric field. A concentric cylinder viscometer, fit ted with special electrical attachments, was used for data collection. This system allowed for control of the applied de voltage, fluid temp erature, and shear rare while observing the resulting effects on the s hear stress. Data analyses show that, at constant temperature, the she ar stress increases as the voltage increases. Continued analyses depic t that shear stress increases as temperature increases when subjected to a constant shear rare and voltage. These results establish milk cho colate as a bona fide electrorheological fluid. The chocolate industry may benefit from this research by gaining knowledge of a new techniqu e to externally control the flow properties of milk chocolate, allowin g the development of unique processes and products.