TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION

This invention describes a process to make ultra-fine particles of fat such as cocoa butter. It can also be applied to chocolate. This process is based on a rapid expansion through a nozzle of a continuous flow of a stirred solution of fats in supercritical CO2. Other compounds may also be present (sugar, solid particles,…). Downstream from the nozzle the powder is collected and the gaseous CO2 can be recycled.

This technology also involves a method to continuously produce the powder without any change in its composition or particle size distribution (the average diameter is about 10 m).

When using this process with chocolate, the crystallized cocoa butter inside the particles is in form V which is the desired polymorph for making chocolate.