Flash freezing demo terrine chocolate

This time we will be experimenting with freezing and thawing ``Terryne Chocolat'' and the subsequent sensory evaluation.

In this article, we report on research results on chocolate freezing methods for customers who want to freeze chocolate in a high-quality state!

Using chocolate terrine, we conducted an experiment by changing the freezing and thawing methods to verify the appearance, texture, and melting in the mouth between rapid freezing and slow freezing, as well as the differences​ ​in appearance, texture, and melting in the mouth between the three thawing methods. Ta!

Here are the main conditions for this experiment.

• Ingredient selection: 70% cacao chocolate
• Freezing method: Artlock freezer (rapid freezing), general freezer (slow freezing)
• Storage period: 2 weeks
• Thawing method: room temperature thawing, refrigerated thawing, microwave thawing

The cacao I used this time is 500g of Tomizawa Shoten's commercial-grade organic dark chocolate cacao 70%. (Make it in a regular pound mold, not a terrine mold)

Comparison of freezing methods

In order to compare the changes in chocolate terrine depending on the freezing method, we compared the differences between a regular freezer and an Artlock freezer!

Appearance of cross section

Cross section after storage and before thawing
Chocolat terrine frozen in an Artlock freezer is an even, dark brown color with no unevenness, whereas chocolate terrine frozen in a regular freezer has noticeable unevenness in color.

Cross section after storage and thawing
When I thawed the frozen food in the Artlock Freezer, you can see from the photo below that it was even and smooth even after thawing.

However, when I looked at the food frozen in a regular freezer, it seemed more uneven after thawing compared to before thawing.

Yield

There was also a difference in yield between the Artlock freezer and a regular freezer, with the yield decreasing slightly in the regular freezer.

	ARTLOCK Freezer	General freezer
Before freezing (g)	78	75
After freezing (g)	78	73
Yield (%)	100	97.3

sensory evaluation

When comparing products frozen in the Artlock Freezer and regular freezers, the products frozen in the Artlock Freezer had a more glossy and glossy appearance.

As for the taste, it was rated as having a soft texture, melting in the mouth, and a good cacao aroma, with a uniform and well-balanced taste!

Comparison of unzipping methods

We compared three methods of thawing: room temperature thawing, refrigerated thawing, and microwave thawing!

The cross sections after thawing using each thawing method are as follows.

As a result, we comprehensively look at the uneven appearance, texture, melting in the mouth, etc.

Refrigerated thawing > Room temperature thawing > Microwave thawing

I'm glad it was in that order!

As for chocolate, rapid temperature changes are undesirable, so these results show that a thawing method with as little temperature change as possible is appropriate.

Conclusion

This time, we reported on the results of a freezing and thawing experiment on ``Terryne Chocolat.''

We examined the differences in appearance, texture, and melting in the mouth between rapid freezing and slow freezing, as well as the appearance, texture, and melting in the mouth using three different thawing methods.

The results of this verification can be summarized as follows!

This time I froze it in the Artlock freezer,

• Able to freeze evenly with no uneven color​
• Yield did not deteriorate either.
• Even after thawing, the texture remained smooth and melted in the mouth.​

Also, how to thaw frozen chocolate.

I realized once again that a thawing method that minimizes sudden temperature changes is appropriate.

Like this time, the Daybreak Lab team is conducting comparison experiments on freezing various ingredients under certain conditions!

This time we focused on chocolate, but we are also conducting research on other things every day, so if you would like to know more about freezing, please contact us.