International Journal of Food Science and Technology 2023, 58, 1–8 1

Review
Polyols and chocolate technology: recent developments and
advances

Aziz Homayouni Rad,1 Nevzat Konar,2 Haniyeh Rasouli Pirouzian,1* Seyed Bagher Mirtajeddini,3
4
Omer Said Toker & Raheleh Rasouli Pirouzian5
1 Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
2 Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, 26160, Eskisehir, Turkey
3 Department of Food Science, College of Agriculture, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
4 Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering Faculty, Food Engineering Department, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey
5 Nutrition Research Center, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
(Received 9 August 2022; Accepted in revised form 31 October 2022)

Summary Reducing the sugar level in chocolate and developing low-calorie products are important for meeting con-
sumer expectations, supporting public health and adapting to current consumption trends. However, the
identification of bulking agents to be used for this aim is a critical factor. The most commonly used sugar
alternatives for this aim are polyols. In this study, recent advances and developments for using possibili-
ties of polyols in chocolate technology were discussed and future perspectives were highlighted. Partially
and/or complete replacing of sugar with polyols can provide a low-calorie product. In addition, the use of
mixtures consisting of more than one polyol is an approach that can be used in chocolate sugar substitu-
tion. Optimization of refining, conching and tempering processes by considering polyol type and content
may contribute to the development of chocolate with improved quality properties and shelf life. However,
polyol and bioactive compounds interactions and possible effects on bioaccesibility, bioavalibility and sta-
bility of these compounds in chocolate composition and pre- and post-digestion periods should be deeply
investigated. In addition, the conching methods and conditions used is another factor to be considered in
the use of polyols.
Keywords Chocolate, low-calorie, polyol, sucrose-free..

characteristics of these products. Because the motiva-

Introduction
Chocolate is among the foods with high sugar and
calorie value in the daily diet. Although it varies
according to the type of chocolate, the total sugar con-
tent is generally <47.3 g/100 g (Hashem et al., 2019).
Consumers mostly choose low-calorie foods, and they
demand the taste of sweetness and also weight control
(Wongprawmas et al., 2021). In addition, even the tax
policies and labelling laws of countries for high sugar
content are changed (Hoy & Wrenn, 2020). For this
reason, chocolate producers are faced with negative
consumer perception development due to high cost
and labelling regulations.
Although the demand of consumers for products
with lower calorie and sugar content is increasing, they
do not want negative changes in the quality
*Correspondent: Fax: 00984133392772; e-mail:
rasoulipirouzian@tbzmed.ac.ir, rasuly_h@yahoo.com
tion factor in the selection of these products is not
physiological nutrition. Generally, the aim is satisfac-
tion of hedonic hunger and mood improvement.
“Hedonic hunger” causes people to consume food
under conditions where they do not feel “hungry”
physiologically (Naughton et al., 2017). This situation
may result in unhealthy food preferences of con-
sumers. Research reveals that most people are con-
scious of what a healthy diet should include and are
motivated to make healthy food choices and consump-
tion decisions. Therefore, it can be stated that a signifi-
cant part of preference mistakes in food consumption
stem from willpower problems (Naughton et al., 2017).
For this reason, it is of great importance that alterna-
tive or healthy foods to be developed address the “he-
donic hunger” of the consumers. In this “hedonic
hunger” satisfaction, the sensory properties of innova-
tive foods are of great importance and decisive. There-
fore, chocolate needs to be developed, whose sensory

doi:10.1111/ijfs.16175
Ó 2022 Institute of Food, Science and Technology (IFSTTF).

2 Polyols and chocolate technology A. Homayouni Rad et al.
properties are at least not less negative than conven-
tional formulations, but which have a lower calorie
value and sugar content.
Another fact is that the demand for chocolate does
not decrease even in periods such as COVID-19, when
all living conditions and styles are affected on a glob-
ally. In researches on consumer purchasing and prefer-
ences under lockdown, it has been determined that
chocolate consumption has increased in various coun-
tries (Bracale & Vaccaro, 2020; Laguna et al., 2020).
Although this is an advantage for producers, it is a
disadvantage in terms of public health. Because in
2016, the World Health Organisation (WHO) esti-
mated that more than 2 billion adults were over-
weight and 650 million adults were obese. These statis-
tics are expected to show negative changes, especially
in some countries and regions, depending on lockdown
practices (Khan & Smith, 2020). Therefore, developing
low-calorie chocolate may contribute to public health.
In the global pandemic, there are those with a long
shelf life among consumers’ preferences. It can be pre-
dicted that this consumer attitude will continue for a
long time (Bakalis et al., 2020). After global pandemic
increasing rate of demand, consuming and varieties of
functional foods also has been affected positively, even
for confectionery products. However, there are possi-
bilities of interactions of bioactive compounds and
sugar alternatives which may cause various effects on
both quality and also stability of these products. Shelf
life is the time during which the quality characteristics
of a food are maintained at an acceptable level. Dur-
ing this period, it should not show undesirable physi-
cal, chemical and microbiological changes
(Spanemberg et al., 2019). A factor to be taken into
account in low-calorie chocolate developments is the
effects of sugar replacer ingredients on shelf life.
In this case, we may state that developing chocolate
with low calorie and reduced sugar content is impor-
tant in matters such as meeting consumer expectations,
adaptation to legal regulations and additional tax
practices, compliance with changing consumption
habits and contribution to public health. However,
while performing these, there should be no negative
change in quality characteristics and tolerable changes
in shelf life should occur. Considering all these condi-
tions, polyols stand out as the main alternative bulking
agents that can be used as sugar replacer in chocolate.
Polyols may define as the most proper sucrose replac-
ers for chocolate. They are produced through a cat-
alytic hydrogenation of natural carbohydrates (Rasouli
Pirouzian et al., 2019) and can be found in small
amounts in some fruits and special types of vegetables
and algae. The consumption of chocolates possessing
polyols will not enhance the glucose level in blood or
insulin secretion; (Hartel et al., 2018) therefore these
foods are suggested for patients suffering from
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diabetes. They have a lower nutritional value than
sucrose because of slower and imperfect absorption in
the intestine. Therefore, polyols are useful in weight
control, tooth decay and diabetes (Grembecka, 2018).
Excessive consumption could cause laxative effects
(Hartel et al., 2018). Using some polyols may also
enhance fat bloom stability of chocolates (Son
et al., 2018). According to the recent advances and
developments, this study describes the main polyols as
alternative sweeteners applied in the food industry and
their adaptability and applicability in the production
of sucrose-free and low-calorie chocolates (Table 1).
Polyols in chocolate technology
Polyols produce nearly zero to 50% the calories of
sucrose on a per weight basis. Also, their other chemi-
cal and physico-chemical properties should be consid-
ered for sucrose-replacement such as, cooling effects
due to negative heat of solution. Most of the polyols
are not completely digested and little is absorbed. This
is the main proof for their low caloric values in com-
parison to sucrose. Tolerable amount of polyol con-
sumption is nearly 20–50 g per day. This amount will
vary depending on the polyol type. FDA has allocated
a temporary ADI (Acceptable daily intake) of
<50 g/day and < 20 g/day for sorbitol and mannitol
respectively (Afoakwa, 2016). The rest of the polyols
have been assigned an ADI of “not specified”. Average
total polyol intake (g/day) in cocoa-based products is
2 g and total polyol intake per body weight (g/kg
bw/day) in cocoa-based products is 0.04 g. Polyols can
be used as bulking agents that can substitute sugar in
1:1 ratio (Grembecka, 2015) and the maximum polyol
use levels as a sweetener in chocolate has been
reported 48.68% (Selvasekaran & Chidambaram, 2021).
The utilisation of anhydrous crystalline forms of
polyols including maltitol, lactitol and isomalt are
much uncomplicated to work with from a process
point of view. However, for non-anhydrous polyols
the attendance of water of crystallisation during pro-
cessing (refining and conching) can cause re-
crystallisation and chocolate viscosity will increase.
Appropriate chocolate could be produced with the
non-anhydrous polyols unless great care should be
taken to reduce the temperature of the mass. For
example, the proper temperatures are 42°C and 45°C
for sorbitol and isomalt, respectively. The mentioned
polyols with the exception of isomalt are slightly
hygroscopic and accuracy is required during handling
and processing to prevent moisture absorption (Gods-
will Awuchi, 2017). Excess moisture absorption pro-
duces viscous chocolate which is difficult to mould and
has an unpleasant sticky mouth-feel. Additionally,
most of bioactive compounds are unstable under high
Ó 2022 Institute of Food, Science and Technology (IFSTTF).

Table 1 Effects of polyols on sucrose-free chocolates quality
Type of
chocolate Sucrose replacer
Compound milk 33% w/w (87.8% maltitol
chocolate +12.2% xylitol)
Dark chocolate 48.68% w/w maltitol
White chocolate Maltitol 38.75 g/100 g
Milk chocolate 33% w/w (11.16% w/w maltitol,
8.9% w/w xylitol and 12.93%
w/w isomalt)
Milk chocolate Maltitol
Milk chocolate 28.24 g maltitol and 4.76 g
xylitol
Dark chocolate 5.16% isomalt, 20.99% erythritol
and 3.85% xylitol
Milk chocolate 5.1 g erythritol and 14.9 g
isomalt
moisture conditions. For instance, when PUFAs
(Polyunsaturated fatty acids) in chocolate composition,
oxidation may develop (Toker et al., 2018). Also,
moisture content and probiotic viability should be con-
sidered for chocolate including hygroscopic ingredients
such as some polyols. So, these should be used a re-
formulation criterion during development both low-
calorie and also sugar-free chocolate.
Selection of appropriate polyols for use in
chocolate
Relative sweetness, hygroscopicity and heat of solution
are among the main criteria to be considered in the
selection of polyols for chocolate. In addition, their
affinity for volatile compounds of cocoa origin and
their ability to absorb them may need to be taken into
account with their effects on fat crystallisation beha-
viour. The importance and effect levels of these factors
may vary depending on the chocolate production tech-
nology to be used and the product type (dark, milk,
white, etc.). For instance, an amorphous sugar fraction
(nearly 2.0%) could be used during chocolate produc-
tion according to effects on cocoa-originated volatile
compounds (Beckett et al., 2017). This fraction has
potential to enhance chocolate flavour. However,
effects of polyols on these compounds have not been
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Polyols and chocolate technology A. Homayouni Rad et al. 3
Effect on chocolate quality Reference
Chocolate with high levels of maltitol resulted in similar Rasouli Pirouzian
rheological properties to sucrose. et al. (2017)
Maltitol chocolates indicated improved blooming resistance Son et al. (2018)
properties compared with control chocolates.
Plastic viscosity and yield quantities of chocolate control were Konar et al. (2018)
lower than those of maltitol-containing chocolates. Maltitol
chocolates showed higher brightness values than the
control.
Replacing sucrose with polyols led to a darker chocolate in Homayouni et al.
comparison. to the control. High concentrations of the (2019)
polyols caused to a hardening effect on the chocolates.
Chocolates containing maltitol indicated the most similar to Aguilar-Villa (2019)
control in their sensory and quality properties.
Chocolates with high amounts of maltitol pleased the consumer Rasouli
demand. Chocolates containing high amounts of xylitol did Pirouzian (2021)
not represent desirable physicochemical properties because
of their high moisture level, Casson viscosity and low values
of hardness.
Chocolates were found to have a darker appearance as Pradhan (2021)
compared to sucrose-made chocolate. Xylitol-made
chocolate received the best score in the case of all sensory
parameters.
Increase in erythritol reduced mouthfeel owing to the cooling Paranjape
effect of erythritol. Increase in isomalt also led to an et al. (2021)
increase in taste score of chocolates.
investigated. By further studies, this interaction
between them should be cleared by considering refinin-
ing and conching methods and parameters.
Contrary to the caloric and glycemic differences,
polyols are physically similar to sucrose, which permits
them to entirely or partially replace sucrose without
negatively influencing physicochemical characteristics.
One of the reasons using polyols in chocolate as
sucrose replacer is their bulking properties and possi-
bility of one-to-one replacement. However, because of
the lower sweetness of some polyols, products contain
a combination of polyol and high intensity sweeteners
(Godswill Awuchi, 2017). Most of the potential con-
sumers are health-conscious persons, so producers
need using natural high intensity sweeteners with
polyol. Also, in some cases such as maltitol and xylitol
the use of high-intensity sweeteners is not required,
because maltitol and xylitol are as sweet as sucrose
when used at nearly a one-for-one replacement. The
optimum concentrations of maltitol and xylitol based
on rheological attributes of compound milk chocolate
were determined as 87.8% maltitol and 12.2% xylitol
by using mixture design method (Rasouli Pirouzian
et al., 2016, 2017). Xylitol contains hydroxyl groups
on its chemical formula which is the cause of preserv-
ing of the moisture in formulations. Hygroscopic poly-
ols including xylitol absorbs moisture during chocolate
International Journal of Food Science and Technology 2023

4 Polyols and chocolate technology A. Homayouni Rad et al.
production ending in particles agglomeration. Choco-
late with high degree of agglomeration will not exhibit
higher reduction in particle size. Xylitol can absorb
some moisture that is released from ingredients such
as milk powder during chocolate processing. In terms
of Casson yield value, smaller particle sizes (in formu-
lations containing high levels of maltitol) increase the
surface area of the dispersed particles and thus, the
stronger the particle-particle interactions will be,
resulting in higher yield values.
Alternatively, some high-intensity sweeteners are
used for balancing the products sweetness. These
include aspartame, acesulfame-K, rebaudioside A, sac-
charin, sucralose and neotame (Khan & Aroul-
moji, 2018). The physicochemical characteristics of
polyols are summarised in Table S1. Aspartame is
widely used because its sweetness profile is similar to
sucrose. It should be added at the end of conching
process. Acesulfame-K is distinct for its high stability.
It shows synergism when combined with other intense
sweeteners. Rebaudioside A is distinguished for its nat-
ural status and stability. The low cost of saccharin
makes this intense sweetener the most-cost-effective of
all commercialised sweeteners. Also, it poses a high
stability. Sucralose is commonly known for its similar
sweetness profile to sucrose and also high stability.
Neotame is well-defined for its sweetness profile and
cost effectiveness (Khan & Aroulmoji, 2018). But the
ideal approach is to replace sucrose without the need
for high-intensity sweeteners. Especially for milk and
white varieties, maltitol, isomalt and xylitol are ideal
polyols based on relative sweetness. However, consid-
ering the texture, melting properties and flow beha-
viour of chocolate, the sweetness perceptions of these
polyols in oral processes should be investigated with
further studies and it should be determined whether
their theoretical relative sweetness changes due to
matrix effect.
Most of the polyols possess a cooling effect stronger
than sucrose because of their negative heat of solution.
This mouth-cooling effect is not accepted in chocolate.
This cooling effect can be reduced or eliminated by
adding fibres (inulin and fructo oligosaccharide),
hydrogenated maltodextrin and or sugar esters. These
agents offer a positive heat of solution. When polyols
are used alone, maltitol is more advantageous than
others in terms of heat of solution, because this polyol
has the closest heat of solution to sucrose (Saraiva
et al., 2020).
Furthermore, using polyols in sucrose-free chocolate
production could cause some modifications in process-
ing conditions. In view of the use of lactitol monohy-
drate in sucrose-free chocolates, the conching
temperature should be kept below 60°C, because it
contains crystal water. This prevents any inappropriate
increase in viscosity or agglomeration of the matrix.
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Above this temperature the water of crystallisation
inherently present in these polyols will come free and
the viscosity of the chocolate increases (Homayouni
Rad et al., 2019). But when using anhydrous lactitol
the conching temperature can be 80°C. For some poly-
ols such as maltitol the processing conditions are the
same.
Some polyols such as sorbitol (Grembecka, 2018)
and xylitol are hygroscopic and would absorb mois-
ture from the environment during conching and this
increase the viscosity of the final product (Homayouni
Rad et al., 2019). Homayouni Rad et al. (2019) pro-
duced sucrose-free milk chocolates including various
kinds of polyols (maltitol, isomalt and xylitol). The
results indicated that Casson viscosity and Casson
yield stress were significantly influenced by the kind of
polyols in chocolate samples produced with xylitol.
The concentration and types of the ingredients used in
the formulation and particle size distribution are
important factors that influenced chocolate viscosity.
The lower Casson viscosity values in sugar-free and/or
low-calorie chocolate formulations may be related to
lower mean particle size, because particles with smaller
size, will contain more surface area, therefore more fat
will coat the solid particles and reduces the viscosity.
Moreover, xylitol has a higher hygroscopicity among
polyols therefore it absorbs the moisture from the
chocolate mass leading to higher viscosity because in
the presence of water, the interactions between sugar
particles will increase (Saputro et al., 2017) resulting in
higher viscosity. The interactions among particles in
chocolate mass and interfacial attributes affect the
yield value of the chocolate (Rodriguez Furlan
et al., 2016). More active and free hydroxyl groups of
polyols result with more interactions between particles.
There are two solutions; one could be addition of
fat and/or emulsifiers to modify texture, flow and melt-
ing characteristics and the second one is to increase
the conching time for modify chocolate formulations
including polyol(s) if needed. However, both of these
approaches may cause increase of product costs.
Depending on the consumer requirements and process-
ing equipments different types of polyols could be used
in chocolate formulation. For example, when using
universal refining-conching systems such as ball mill is
applied it is suggested to use isomalt-LM because of
its lower moisture content compared to isomalt-ST.
Erythritol has high digestive tolerance of approxi-
mately 0.8 g/kg body weight which allows a very high
concentration in the chocolate formulation (Berns-
meier, 2018). Another approach may be particle size
optimization. Considering that the average particle size
does not negatively affect other quality parameters, the
moisture affinity of the chocolate mass can be changed
by optimization, because this feature differs between
large particles and small particles. Chocolate
Ó 2022 Institute of Food, Science and Technology (IFSTTF).

formulations containing maltitol may indicate higher
yield stress in comparison to isomalt and xylitol due to
maltitol’s PSD (Particle size distribution), which con-
tained more amounts of smaller particles and higher
plastic viscosity with isomalt is associated with its
higher solid volume fraction in chocolate, crystallinity
and hygroscopicity. A polyol with higher particle size
should be selected for amending rheological properties;
however, the particle size should be small enough to
benefit suitable sensory attributes (Aguilar-Villa
et al., 2019).
Polyols (e.g., isomalt or lactitol) may affect hardness
of chocolate. Higher hardness of chocolates produced
with polyols is related to large particle size median of
polyols denoted by d(0.5) and significantly larger vol-
ume mean diameter d(3,2) compared (Belscak-
Cvitanovic et al., 2015). Aguilar-Villa et al. (2019) pro-
duced sucrose-free milk chocolate. Sucrose was
replaced with maltitol as a bulk agent. Chocolates con-
taining maltitol indicated the most similar to control
in their sensory and quality properties. Samples with
maltitol resulted in hardness values close to control.
Although there were no statistically significant differ-
ences in Casson viscosity and Casson yield value, but
these attributes were almost influenced by the distribu-
tion of particle size and ingredients used. Paranjape
et al. (2021) developed a sucrose free chocolate by
using a combination of isomalt and erythritol. The
results demonstrated that texture of sucrose-free
chocolates was influenced by variation in its ingredi-
ents. Increase in erythritol and isomalt negatively ham-
pered the texture owing to their property to form
waxy structure when mixed fatty acids in cocoa butter.
Increase in erythritol reduced mouthfeel owing to the
cooling effect of erythritol. Increase in isomalt also led
to an increase in taste score of chocolates. The opti-
mised formulation contained 5.1% Erythritol or
14.9% of Isomalt to establish best possible desirability
of 0.771.
There are differences in sugar content of different
types of chocolates produced round the world. For
example, chocolates made in US, MENA (Middle
East-North Africa) etc contain lower levels of cacao
instead higher sugar content (Alberts & Cidell, 2016).
That’s the reason for these chocolates that are known
for their lighter, sweeter milk chocolates but European
chocolates are considered for their nearly bitter as a
result of the high cocoa content (Beckett et al., 2017).
For this reason, it will be useful to determine the rela-
tive sweetness level of the polyol to be used by consid-
ering regional sensory preferences. Also, European
chocolates are produced with milk powder, because
the drying process would contribute some cooked fla-
vours into the chocolate (Beckett et al., 2017).
Afoakwa (2016) have stated that addition of milk
solids in the form of chocolate crumb is preferred in
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Polyols and chocolate technology A. Homayouni Rad et al. 5
certain European countries. In this case, absorption of
aromatic compounds of cocoa origin by bulking
agents, especially during conching, may be another cri-
terion for polyol selection.
Polyols are more expensive than sucrose; their func-
tionality makes it worth the added cost in many appli-
cations. The cost of the raw ingredient has a key
impact on industry economics; although other factors
may substantially balance that parameter. Developing
novel processes could reduce the price of the polyols.
Intensive sweeteners could provide reduced-calorie
chocolates at lower cost because of their high sweet-
ness intensity and low levels of use. Another approach
is sugar substitution using low-cost combinations of
bulking agents and polyols. However, in this case, the
relative sweetness level of the polyol to be used should
be considered.
In addition, the influence of new components such
as alternative bulk sweeteners on the tempering beha-
viour of cocoa butter should be investigated, because,
addition of sugar, have affected the cocoa butter crys-
tallisation (Toker et al., 2019). The addition of the
sugar particles promoted the formation of polymorphs
with lower melting points. It was suggested that the
sugar acted as a heterogeneous nucleation agent, pro-
longing the nucleation and growth of cocoa butter
crystals since foreign surfaces acted as nucleation sites
for crystallisation (Konar et al., 2017; Oba
et al., 2017). Optimization of the tempering heat pro-
gram and process conditions may be required in
chocolate production using polyol (Toker et al., 2020).
Also, the polyol particle size used may be investigated
as a possible influencing factor.
The differences in sensory properties in chocolates
produced with polyols could be related to the differ-
ences in molecular, microscopic and macroscopic
properties. The structure of the surface of chocolates
plays an important role in visual quality appearance.
Sucrose and polyols have different diffusing character
due to their different arrangement of crystals. Sucrose
contains multidimensional crystals with sharp edges
scattering the light in all directions from the matrix.
The differences in moisture content, particle sizes, dif-
ferent structure and configuration of sugars and inter-
molecular bonds are the major reasons for different
melting properties of chocolates produced with differ-
ent sugars. Moreover, there is a strong relationship
between the sweet taste and aroma release (Homay-
ouni Rad et al., 2019). As a whole variation in ingredi-
ents composition, particle size distribution and
processing techniques are the reasons for different sen-
sory quality of chocolates. Dark and milk chocolate
with suitable flavour could be formulated with an
anhydrous crystalline maltitol powder using regular
production processing. Elevated conching temperatures
can be used without re-crystallisation and increased
International Journal of Food Science and Technology 2023

6 Polyols and chocolate technology A. Homayouni Rad et al.
viscosity (Afoakwa, 2016). Conching at higher temper-
atures leads to flavour enhancement. Chocolate pro-
duced with the maltitol is non hydroscopic and owns
excellent gloss and appearance. The melting profile
and also sweetness intensity of chocolate prepared with
maltitol is similar to conventional one. Considerable
reduction in calorie (12–15%) was observed.
As a result, it can be observed that the replacement
of sucrose with polyols increases rheological parame-
ters of the chocolate mass. It can be concluded that all
raw ingredients used for chocolate production should
be characterised by very low humidity because mois-
ture significantly increases both the viscosity and yield
value of chocolate masses. The presence of moisture in
this product will disturb the technological process.
This knowledge enables to alter the technological pro-
cess in order to reduce the problems caused by alter-
ations in chocolate mass composition. Rheological
characteristics of chocolate masses can be adjusted and
this aim can be obtained by: reducing the moisture
content of raw ingredients or chocolate mass (e.g.,
long conching at elevated temperature, mixing or
conching under vacuum), increasing fat-phase content
and/or lecithin contents or adding other emulsifiers
(e.g., PGPR (Polyglycerol polyricinoleate)). Each of
these methods aimed at reducing rheological parame-
ters should be used dexterously. However, they neither
should disqualify the final chocolate nor disturb the
technological process.
Polyols and delaying fat bloom
In the final chocolate which has completed the temper-
ing stage and maintain comparatively high contents of
fat and sugar, inappropriate storage would cause

blooming (Skraba et al., 2019). Blooming is commonly
known as a phenomenon of owning thin greyish white
film or white spots on the surface of chocolate because
of crystallisation problems from inappropriate temper-
ing or the development of fat created from the chocolate
structure, depending on the storage temperature and

humidity situations (Skraba et al., 2019). Blooming is
considered as one the main defects in the modern choco-
late industry by giving rise to transformations in surface
and fat crystal structures. Β-V polymorph crystals are
most appropriate form in chocolates due to its most
stable shapes at room temperature. The best crystal for
chocolate is form V, due to its most stable shapes at
room temperature (Beckett et al., 2017).
Son et al. (2018) evaluated the blooming properties
of chocolates made with maltitol as alternative sweet-
ener. As the result of X-ray diffraction, the chocolates
made with sucrose was the fastest in the conversion
from b-V to b-VI type and also had the highest degree
of change on surfaces of chocolates. As the blooming
progressed, bloomed area, crumbliness, colour, bitter
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taste and grittiness increased. According to Son
et al. (2018), chocolates made with maltitol showed
fewer fat crystals in comparison to samples made with
sucrose. In the case of microscopic observation, the
crystals of sucrose were in the largest and widest
range. Thus, the better stability on crystallisation of
maltitol than sucrose would influence their decreased
blooming progress. After chocolates had been
bloomed, the hardness values decreased due to fat
migration phenomenon. Chocolate samples produced
with maltitol illustrated improved blooming resistance
characteristics compare with sucrose-added chocolate
samples. Thus, when some alternative sweeteners
including maltitol are used to produce chocolates, the
final product may enhance storage stability by anti-
blooming effects. However, studies on this subject are
limited. It is beneficial to investigate the interaction
between polyol use and fat bloom development, espe-
cially considering factors such as polyol type and level,
tempering process conditions, amount of fat phase,
lecithin and PGPR amounts.
Conclusion
Presently the public have to deal with the high sucrose
level and calories in confectionery products, conse-
quently expanding amicability of ‘sucrose-free’ and
low-calorie products. Manufacturing sucrose-free
chocolate with high quality needs the utilisation of the
most proper components that can entirely substitute
sucrose without negatively influencing the quality char-
acteristics. Sucrose substitution by polyols has great
possibility for the prosperous preparation of low-
calorie and/or sugar-free chocolate with the acceptable
quality equal to conventional ones. Wide knowledge
on the properties of the main polyols has been
reviewed. Awareness of these elements could lead to
the improvement of low-calorie and/or sugar-free
chocolates that faces the desirable quality properties
and healthy products.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge Research Vice
Chancellor of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences.
Author contributions
Aziz Homayouni: Writing – original draft (equal).
Nevzat Konar: Conceptualization (equal); writing –
original draft (equal); writing – review and editing
(equal). Haniyeh Rasouli Pirouzian: Conceptualization
(equal); writing – original draft (equal). Seyed Bagher
Mirtajeddini: Writing – original draft (equal). Omer
Said Toker: Writing – original draft (equal). Raheleh
Rasouli Pirouzian: Writing – original draft (equal).
Ó 2022 Institute of Food, Science and Technology (IFSTTF).

Funding statement
The authors received no financial support for the pub-
lication of this article.
Conflict of interest
None.
Peer review
The peer review history for this article is available at
https://publons.com/publon/10.1111/ijfs.16175.
Data availability statement
The authors elect not to share data, as this is a review
paper.
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• Afoakwa, E. O. (2016). Chocolate Science and Tech-
nology. Wiley Blackwell.
International Journal of Food Science and Technology 2023
13652621, 2023, 1, Downloaded from https://ifst.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ijfs.16175 by Institute Of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, Wiley Online Library on [02/04/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License
• Beckett, S. T., Fowler, M. S. & Ziegler, G. R. (2017).
Beckett’s Industrial Chocolate Manufacture and Use.
UK: Wiley Blackwell.
• Grembecka, M. (2015). Sugar alcohols: Their role in
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• Homayouni Rad, A., Rasouli Pirouzian, H., Konar,
N., Toker, O. S. & Genc Polat, D. (2019). Effects of
polyols on the quality characteristics of sucrose-free
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Supporting Information
Additional Supporting Information may be found in
the online version of this article:
Table S1. Physicochemical properties of polyols.
Ó 2022 Institute of Food, Science and Technology (IFSTTF).