Abstract
The National Confectionery Association (NCA) and the Chocolate
Manufacturers Association (CMA) jointly developed a method for measuring
the yield value and plastic viscosity of chocolates. The NCA/CMA method
covers details including sample preparation, viscometer calibration,
viscosity measurement, yield value and plastic viscosity calculation.
The author recently had an opportunity to closely evaluate this method
and has encountered a few issues in its application. After extensive
research, the author concludes that the method has mistakenly introduced
three parameters including a value, K value, and Xcorr factor. Those
values are not only unnecessary but also may introduce artificial errors
particularly in calculating the yield value of chocolate. This article
shares those findings and intends to inspire more discussion to further
improve the NCA/CMA method for viscosity.