(2) Isothermally as a function of time. The samples were melted
at 70 C until complete destruction of their crystalline history.
The SFC readings as a function of isothermal crystallization
time were recorded by the equipment software at least
10 min after achieving a sustained plateau in the measurements
or until to complete 120 min, under isothermal conditions
at 20 and 25 C. The samples were analyzed in
triplicate. The crystallization kinetics were characterized in
terms of the induction period (tSFC), maximum solid fat
content (SFCmax), and stabilization time for crystallization
(tsc). The non-linear Avrami equation, employed for the crystallization
study is given by:
SFC ¼ SFCmax 1 ektn ;
where SFC is the solid fat content, SFCmax is the maximum
limit for solid fat content, k is the Avrami constant (minn),
which considers nucleation and crystal growth, and n is the
Avrami exponent, which is related to the growth mechanism
of the crystals (Marangoni, 1998). The crystallization half
time t1/2 expresses the magnitude of the values of k and n,
in accordance with the following equation:
t1=2 ¼ ð0:693=KÞ1=n: