Post by Alan on Feb 12, 2006 15:04:56 GMT -5
Dear all,
I would like to complile some of the information I have gathered on lecithin via previous discussionsinto this one thread. There are no clear conclusions at the end, but only ideas of things to try.
At one point in the Chocolate Alchemy Mailing list, I asked about lecithin.
A Chocolate Alchemy mailing list member responded with the following comments:
and
and
and finally, Sebastian, from this forum noted:
Where you add your lecithin can have a profound impact on how it behaves. Since i've never used this method of production, I can't comment on what it would do, but play with it! You may find that adding it at the grinding stage will shorten your time spent in the grinder.
and I responded
As for the lecithin, initially I was going to use the granules, and would have had to add them earlier to make sure that they were mixed in sufficiently. However, then I found some liquid, and decided that I would use that for my first real batch. I was still intending on adding it at the beginning, but then I read in Minifie's "Chocolate, Cocoa, and Confectionery," that adding lecithin toward the end of the processing is best for reducing viscosity as much as possible with the same amount of lecithin.
However, I now realize that I slightly misread his statement, because what he says is that the lecithin addition should be split between the beginning refining stage and the very end of the conching stage. Basically he says to add 1/3 at the beginning of the refining, and the rest towards the very end of conching, and the lowest viscosity will be achieved. Of course, adding lecithin at the end is only possible with using a liquid, or one risks grainy chocolate.
At any rate, since I am only using 2.63 grams of lecithin, I don't know how reasonable it is to stry and split it up, but I will try and do half and half.
So, I'll add 1/2 of the lecithin right when I add the chocolate liquor, and then I'll add the rest of the lecithin in the last 30 minutes.
to which Sebastian replied:
Now, I intended to use granular lecithin at first, but then I decided that in order to add half of the lecithin at the end, that I would buy some liquid lecithin as it would not need to be refined into small particles as the granular does, and one would think it would mix more easily as well.
The liquid lecithin that I found was "Fearn liquid lecithin," and I e-mailed them to find out the HLB value as Scott mentions above. The value ended up being 4 on a scale of 20.
John (who runs this board and Chocolate Alchemy) had this to say:
to which Scott replied:
Going back to what I actually did, while I intended to add half of the lecithin at the beginning of the refining and half at the end (last hour), I actually added it all at the beginning as it was easier that way.
Seeing the viscosity of the final product based on this way of doing things, I wonder if the viscosity might have been reduced had I added all of the lecithin during the last hour. Next time I will try such a method.
Also, it occurs to me that perhaps keeping the chocolate at a higher viscosity during the refining might allow the granite rollers and rotating base to do their job more effectively. However, this is pure speculation based on the thought that there might be greater shear when the grinder is working on a lower viscosity liquid. I may be wrong about this.
Certainly though, the next time I make a chocolate, in which I am using lecithin, I am going to try out the Fearn Liquid lecithin during the final last hour next time, at 0.2% of the total chocolate weight.
Comments?
Sincerely,
Alan
I would like to complile some of the information I have gathered on lecithin via previous discussionsinto this one thread. There are no clear conclusions at the end, but only ideas of things to try.
At one point in the Chocolate Alchemy Mailing list, I asked about lecithin.
A Chocolate Alchemy mailing list member responded with the following comments:
Remember that there are many different grades of lecithin, as well as many different ways it is produced - all of which affect it's functionality and many of which affect it's flavor (or lack there of). Comparing %'s of lecithin might not be very meaningful to you unless you know exactly what the material is that's being used.
and
experience suggests that anything over 0.5% and you'll find that the lecithin begins to work against itself - that is, up to 0.5% you get great viscosity reduction, but if you go higher than that, you may actually increase the viscosity due to a phenemenon called 'bridging'. lecithin is ampiphillic, meaning one end of it is water loving (hydrophillic) and one end is fat loving (lipophillic). if too much lecithin is present, it'll begin adhering to itself, creating chains or bridges that impede the flow of cocoa butter, thus, increasing viscosity.
and
Actually, the legal limit [of lecithin] is 1% in the US. But y 'all aren't bound by any legal limits (as long as you're not selling your product as chocolate), so have at it! I think John's recommending a powdered lecithin - which is ok, but I'd recommend you consider a fluid lecithin as it should prove a bit easier for you to manage and incorporate (the powdered material has to be essentially dissolved in your cocoa butter before it becomes effective, which takes longer). All lecithin's are not created equal, and when sourcing one you should consider what's called the HLB value (Hydrophillic-lipophillic value). More or less, the higher the number the more effective a lecithin it will be for you. I've used the range, from highly purified powders to essentially very 'dirty' product, and have never had to go above 0.6% in any formulation. You'll find that your lower %'s products will have more of a need for it than your higher %'s (less total fat to make things fluid, naturally), and that your milk products will need more of it than your dark products. You'll also find in your milk products that the more free milk fat you have (that is, milk fat in the form of anhydrous milk fat (ghee), not bound to the milk powder itself), the less of a need for lecithin you'll have (although you're still going to need it, just not as much). If you add more than 4-5% anhydrous milk fat, you'd better be a very proficient temperer, because it's gonna get difficult for you to obtain good temper. If you go past 6%, you'll find it nigh impossible to temper (it can be done, but you'd better have the patience of Job).
If you've added lecithin to the point you can taste it, frankly you've gone way, way too far, and it's certain to be working against your goals at that point. Remember that you can also affect pretty large viscosity changes by adding good ol' fashioned cocoa butter.
also play around with when you add it to your process - you'll find that order of addition and timing of addition can play a large role in how effective it is
If you've added lecithin to the point you can taste it, frankly you've gone way, way too far, and it's certain to be working against your goals at that point. Remember that you can also affect pretty large viscosity changes by adding good ol' fashioned cocoa butter.
also play around with when you add it to your process - you'll find that order of addition and timing of addition can play a large role in how effective it is
and finally, Sebastian, from this forum noted:
Where you add your lecithin can have a profound impact on how it behaves. Since i've never used this method of production, I can't comment on what it would do, but play with it! You may find that adding it at the grinding stage will shorten your time spent in the grinder.
and I responded
As for the lecithin, initially I was going to use the granules, and would have had to add them earlier to make sure that they were mixed in sufficiently. However, then I found some liquid, and decided that I would use that for my first real batch. I was still intending on adding it at the beginning, but then I read in Minifie's "Chocolate, Cocoa, and Confectionery," that adding lecithin toward the end of the processing is best for reducing viscosity as much as possible with the same amount of lecithin.
However, I now realize that I slightly misread his statement, because what he says is that the lecithin addition should be split between the beginning refining stage and the very end of the conching stage. Basically he says to add 1/3 at the beginning of the refining, and the rest towards the very end of conching, and the lowest viscosity will be achieved. Of course, adding lecithin at the end is only possible with using a liquid, or one risks grainy chocolate.
At any rate, since I am only using 2.63 grams of lecithin, I don't know how reasonable it is to stry and split it up, but I will try and do half and half.
So, I'll add 1/2 of the lecithin right when I add the chocolate liquor, and then I'll add the rest of the lecithin in the last 30 minutes.
to which Sebastian replied:
I do expect you'll see a difference (academically, rheologically) in splitting 2.6 g of lecithin on your set up. Practically - i think you're about to engage on an excerise in patience testing To be honest, you're making such small batches, and while i'm not sure how you're going to be using it, my guess is that you're not going to need to hone the rheological aspects of your chocolate for your personal use - indeed you may even have a hard time quantifying them if you do affect the changes, as most folks don't have the equipment necessary to test for plastic viscosity and yield value at home. Net/Net - as mentioned, you can drive significant rheological differences depending on order of addition of your emulsifier; however, given your setup, it's gonna be awfully hard to control/notice/quantify...
consider what you read in minifie's book a general guideline - much has changed, and there are many, many ways of doing things...
consider what you read in minifie's book a general guideline - much has changed, and there are many, many ways of doing things...
Now, I intended to use granular lecithin at first, but then I decided that in order to add half of the lecithin at the end, that I would buy some liquid lecithin as it would not need to be refined into small particles as the granular does, and one would think it would mix more easily as well.
The liquid lecithin that I found was "Fearn liquid lecithin," and I e-mailed them to find out the HLB value as Scott mentions above. The value ended up being 4 on a scale of 20.
John (who runs this board and Chocolate Alchemy) had this to say:
After a little looking, I found this and thinks it sums it up.
"A key concept used in discussing emulsifiers including lecithin is hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB). HLB values range from 1 to 20 and denote the relative strength of hydrophilic (water-loving) and lipophilic (oil-loving) groups of emulsifiers. Emulsifiers at the low end of the range have a greater affinity for oil and those at the high end will be more attracted to the aqueous phase. Therefore, low-HLB emulsifiers will form water-in-oil emulsions, and high-HLB emulsifiers will form oil-in-water emulsions. Most fluid lecithins have an HLB of about 4."
So, it does appear to be average, and what you want. Scott, when you say high, what do you mean? One with a value of 4.5, or 6.0. Doesn't seem like lecithin could go into the double digits.
"A key concept used in discussing emulsifiers including lecithin is hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB). HLB values range from 1 to 20 and denote the relative strength of hydrophilic (water-loving) and lipophilic (oil-loving) groups of emulsifiers. Emulsifiers at the low end of the range have a greater affinity for oil and those at the high end will be more attracted to the aqueous phase. Therefore, low-HLB emulsifiers will form water-in-oil emulsions, and high-HLB emulsifiers will form oil-in-water emulsions. Most fluid lecithins have an HLB of about 4."
So, it does appear to be average, and what you want. Scott, when you say high, what do you mean? One with a value of 4.5, or 6.0. Doesn't seem like lecithin could go into the double digits.
to which Scott replied:
The range is from 1-20, I believe. If you've got a liquid lecithin at 4, that should work just fine for your chocolate use.
Going back to what I actually did, while I intended to add half of the lecithin at the beginning of the refining and half at the end (last hour), I actually added it all at the beginning as it was easier that way.
Seeing the viscosity of the final product based on this way of doing things, I wonder if the viscosity might have been reduced had I added all of the lecithin during the last hour. Next time I will try such a method.
Also, it occurs to me that perhaps keeping the chocolate at a higher viscosity during the refining might allow the granite rollers and rotating base to do their job more effectively. However, this is pure speculation based on the thought that there might be greater shear when the grinder is working on a lower viscosity liquid. I may be wrong about this.
Certainly though, the next time I make a chocolate, in which I am using lecithin, I am going to try out the Fearn Liquid lecithin during the final last hour next time, at 0.2% of the total chocolate weight.
Comments?
Sincerely,
Alan