Pores have been shown to play a predominant role in the functionality of crystallized lipids, and a detailed characterization of their porosity is necessitated. In this study, the effects of cocoa butter (CB) and trilaurin (TL) crystallization processing at 2˚C/min cooling and shearing at 500 s^(-1) in the presence or absence of monostearate (5 % w/w) on porous structural properties were quantified. Samples were sheared using a couette-type laminar crystallizer (LS) and a standard paddle mixer (PS) and evaluated for their melting point, solid fat content (SFC), and crystal structure. Data showed no effects of processing on sample melting points. However, bigger crystals with lower SFC’s were shown in samples containing monostearate, except for CB containing monostearate processed with laminar shear. X-ray computerized tomography of the samples showed that both processing and composition have significant effects on their final porous structure. Random sheared networks using PS produced well dispersed and disjoint arrangements of pores with 3 to 14% porosity. Whereas LS samples contained 0.002 to 8% porosity whether disjoint or highly connected. These effects of processing on the sample's pore network did not remain consistent in the presence of monostearate. The results of this study demonstrate the dependency of pores within crystallized lipid networks on their composition and crystallization conditions which can aid in further elucidating their functional properties.
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