Investigation the Characteristics of Dark Chocolate Containing White Tea Plant Extracts and Microcapsules

In this study, the effects of free and microcapsules extract of white tea on physicochemical properties, particle size, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), total phenolic compounds, antioxidant properties and sensory properties of dark chocolate were investigated. The white tea extract at 1, 3, 5, and 7% concentrations (based on pretreatment) was added as free and microcapsules form to the dark chocolate formulation. All experiments were measured in three replications using a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design and the results were analyzed using SPSS software. The findings indicated that the size of the microcapsules particles were in the range of 2.3-157.23 μm. The SEM examination revealed that the dark chocolate particles containing the white tea microencapsulated extract were smaller in size and more uniform compared to the control sample and sample containing free extract of white tea. Increasing the extract concentration from 1 to 7% in both free and microcapsules forms significantly increased the total phenolic compounds and antioxidant properties of the dark chocolate (p< 0.05). Regarding the results of evaluating the sensory characteristics, the samples containing 3% white tea extract and 1% white tea microencapsulated extract received the highest acceptance by the panelists. In terms of the color features, the samples containing microencapsulated extract had the highest brightness level (L*), redness level (a*), and yellowness level (b*). Increasing the amount of the free extract and white tea microcapsule increased the moisture content, however stiffness and pH showed a reverse trend.