Review of cocoa butter and alternative fats for use in chocolate—Part B. Analytical approaches for identification and determination

This work reviews the literature on analytical methods suitable for the detection, identification and determination of foreign fats in cocoa butter and chocolate. Most methods are based on chromatography, analysing either the fatty acids, triglyceride or the fractions of the unsaponifiables (sterols, triterpenes, etc.). None of the methods reviewed here allows the unequivocal quantification, or just the detection, of foreign fats in chocolate without any exemption for the kind of foreign fat added. The type of foreign fats which are not detectable depends strongly on the analytical techniques applied. It is proposed to combine a number of techniques with a chemometric approach to develop unique patterns allowing the unequivocal detection and quantification of foreign fats, without having prior knowledge regarding the kind of fat added. This approach is based on the use of a complex pattern of the constituents of cocoa butter and any deviation from this pattern is attributed to the existence of foreign fat.