Influence of collagen hydrolysate as cocoa butter replacement agent on the chemical, rheological, and sensory properties of reduced-fat and reduced-calorie milk chocolate

This study investigates the effect of collagen hydrolysate (CH) as a partial replacement of cocoa butter (CB) on the chemical, rheological, and sensory properties of milk chocolate. Chocolate samples were prepared with different levels of CH (15, 20, 25, and 30% wt/wt) and compared with the control sample, containing 100% CB. The results showed that moisture content increased with increasing replacement levels, but water activity did not show a significant difference with the control sample. The values of hardness, thixotropy, plastic viscosity, and apparent viscosity increased with increasing the percentage of replacement. The values of yield stress had an increasing trend with enhancing replacement percentage. Despite total acceptability reduced with increasing the levels of replacement in sensory evaluation, there was no significant difference with the control sample. In conclusion, samples with 15 and 20% replacement had the least difference from the control sample. Practical applications In recent years, there has been an increased consumer interest and demand for reduced-fat food products because a growing number of people are suffering from overweight or obesity. Chocolate is a product with high fat and calorie content; therefore, the production of reduced-fat and reduced-calorie chocolates is an efficient solution in this way. The result of this article is an effective step toward the development of reduced-fat and reduced-calorie milk chocolates as an alternative to conventional chocolates.