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why crystal forms in healing butter after few days of batch preparation
Refined cacao butter =50%
Beeswax = 20%
Stearic acid=15%
sunflower oil=10%
carrot oil=3%
vitamin E=2% -
19 Replies
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@kajalthakur That might be due to blooming (efflorescence) from your butters, and it’s because of different melting points of different fats present. Try preheating your butters sepparately for around 20 min before your main process, and see how it goes.
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@ketchito we are following the same procedure but still we facing are the same problem.
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@kajalthakur At what temperature are you preheating your butters? And at what temperature are you making your final mixture?
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@kajalthakur I’d mix everything at 80°C as well, and add only the Vitamin E below 50°C.
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Can you provide more details on your cool-down procedure? Specifically, temperature, equipment used, etc.
As another member mentioned, and I agree, this is likely due to the ingredients having different melting points. During the cooling phase, if you cool too fast or incorrectly can cause ingredients to harden (or crystallize) at different rates, and thus you get what you’ve described. Although this isn’t the case for everything, but can happen.
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@KMRCSMiami Thank you for reply. We are cooling it up to room temperature at normal rate without using any equipment like fridge.
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The problem is that you are mixing a high load Cacao Butter that has a low melting point relative to Beeswax and Stearic Acid and Cacao Butter fats separate out when heated and the Cacao crystallizes. I’m assuming you’re trying to make a balm?
Refined cacao butter =1.50%
Beeswax = 20%
sunflower oil= QS to 100%
carrot oil=3%
vitamin E=2%
Try this mixture and see if you get what you are looking for. -
Keep in mind also that the product “could” liquify in shipping as well (especially with the initial Formulation with the high Cocoa Butter levels). You can not control the cooling process in that regard. From experience, fix the issue in R&D/manufacturing and remember “more Cocoa Butter!” is not always best. There are NUMEROUS old posts regarding the issue.
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@MarkBroussard Thanks we will try to formulate as you suggest. Instead of this formula I formulate lip balm without cacao butter and beeswax. I use C12-15 alkane, stearic acid ,emulsifying wax and sunflower oil but still facing problem of crystallization. Soo can you suggest it what actually happened. Procedure is same, heat all ingredients at 80°( for20 min)and cool down at room temperature.
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@Microformulation thanks we will do this also
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Your problem is either the stearic acid or emulsifying wax. I would suggest that you try a sample in which you eliminate both stearic acid and emulsifying wax and use only beeswax as your structuring agent.
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There is a simple solution here - call it a hack. Add a polyglyceryl fatty acid ester such as Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate or Polyglyceryl-6 Oleate, to your formulation and you will no longer see blooming again. These PEFA surfactants have been used in food tech for 60 years for this same purpose. These also retard the cloud point in oils if you ever formulate a massage oil. Works same way. Best one in solid state balms is Caprol ET from Abitec: Polyglyceryl-6 Octastearate.
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Hey @chemicalmatt
Can you suggest me the dosage and temperature range of polyglyceryl fatty acid ester in salve to solve the blooming problem. -
@kajalthakur It doesn’t take much, only 1 - 3%
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@chemicalmatt Thank you.
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Thank you all of you for suggestion and its really works. After proper heating and cooling my problem of blooming in healing butter has been solved .
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Hello, I am also facing the same problem for my anhydrous foot balm formulation. I use around 20% of fats high in stearic acid (cocoa butter, mango butter). I have researched and I found some suggested practices.
1)making sure sufficient heating is done, such as mixing fats at 80C, 20 min.
2) Apply rapid cooling after molding
3) Use polyglyceryl fat esters to avoid crystalisation as very wisely @chemicalmatt and others mentioned several times.
I havent tested the above thoroughly, however I do apply step 1 in every lab batch I produce.
I did notice that my 5C, 40 C sample did not make any recrystalisation, but the 18-20C sample did.
So I am working on confirming if rapid cooling will solve our problem for manufacturing or I need to add polyglyceryl fat ester to be on the safe side.
Could you share your experience? Did you manage to solve the problem by only optimising the manufacturing process using steps 1 and 2?
Thank you in advance
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Hello@Maria…. The Problem of crystallization has been solved when I heat the waxy substances at 80C +-5C. After filling in container, rapid cooling is working . Do try it will solve your problem.
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