What happens to melted chocolate as it cools and solidifies?

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Multiple Choice

What happens to melted chocolate as it cools and solidifies?

When melted chocolate cools, it contracts. In the liquid state the fats (cocoa butter) and solids are in a more disordered arrangement and occupy a bit more space. As it solidifies, cocoa butter crystallizes into a tight, ordered structure and particles pack more efficiently, so the volume decreases. That’s why melted chocolate can pull away from mold walls or develop surface changes if cooled unevenly. It doesn’t expand or stay the same size, and it doesn’t dissolve on its own.

When melted chocolate cools, it contracts. In the liquid state the fats (cocoa butter) and solids are in a more disordered arrangement and occupy a bit more space. As it solidifies, cocoa butter crystallizes into a tight, ordered structure and particles pack more efficiently, so the volume decreases. That’s why melted chocolate can pull away from mold walls or develop surface changes if cooled unevenly. It doesn’t expand or stay the same size, and it doesn’t dissolve on its own.

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