Development of a rapid method for the detection of cocoa butter equivalents in mixtures with cocoa butter

A simple and rapid gas chromatographic (GC) method was developed for the de tection of cocoa butter equivalents (CBEs) in cocoa butter (CB). It is base d on the use of a 5 m nonpolar capillary column for the separation of the m ain triglycerides of CB according to their acyl/carbon numbers. The GC proc edure was optimized to avoid thermal degradation of the triglycerides. By c omputing the ratio C54/C50 and (C54/C50) x C52 and by 2-dimensional plottin g of these values, authentic CB samples were clearly distinguished from sam ples containing various CBEs. The detection of little as 1 % CBE in CB (cor responding to about 0.3% CBE in chocolate) in a model system was shown to b e possible. Under real conditions, for a wide range of CBs, about 2.5% CBEs in CB were detected. With this method, quantitation was possible at a conc entration of 5% CBEs in CB mixtures, which corresponds to around 1 % in cho colate; this value is far below the maximum level of 5% CBEs allowed to be added to chocolate.