Fluidity indicator
What the chocolate formulator's fluidity factor is, its range, the visual drop indicator, and why white chocolates fix it at 0.61.
What is it?
The fluidity factor is the ratio of cocoa butter to the total cocoa in the formula: the more butter, the more fluid the melted chocolate. A higher factor gives a more fluid chocolate (easier to mold, thinner layers); a lower one gives a thicker chocolate.
How to get there
It's one of the controls in scene 3, "Adjust the parameters", of the Chocolate formulator, under the Fluidity factor label.
How to adjust it
- Slider: drag it to set the value, in steps of 0.01. The range is 0.48 to 0.99.
- Numeric editing: click the large value to open a dialog where you can type it or raise and lower it with the + and − buttons. The dialog shows the allowed range and, if the value falls outside it, warns "The value must be between 0.48 and 0.99" and won't let you confirm.
When you switch chocolate type, the fluidity factor resets to that type's default value (see Chocolate types). Moving the slider uses no credits: it only changes the preview.
The drop indicator
Under the slider there's a visual indicator with drops and a label that translates the factor into practical terms. More drops mean higher fluidity:
| Factor | Label | Drops |
|---|---|---|
| 0.48–0.53 | Very low | 1–2 |
| 0.54–0.59 | Low | 3–4 |
| 0.60–0.65 | Medium | 5–6 |
| 0.66–0.71 | High | 7–8 |
| 0.72–0.77 | Very high | 9–10 |
| 0.78–0.83 | Low stability | 11–12; those beyond 10 are drawn in red |
| 0.84–0.99 | Not stable | all red; the scale grows from 12 to 15 drops and, from 0.94 up, stays at 15 full red drops |
When the factor enters the red zone (Low stability or Not stable), the chocolate may behave unreliably in production; move it toward more conservative values if you want a stable result.
What is the fluidity factor? (on screen)
Under the drops, the "What is the fluidity factor?" panel gives the definition and a Usage guide:
- Very high: molding thin-shelled bonbons.
- Medium-high: dipping and enrobing.
- Low: hollow figures.
- Low: piping work.
In White chocolate and Vegan white chocolate there's no slider and no drops: the app fixes the factor at 0.61 and explains it with the note "In white chocolate the fluidity is fixed at 0.61: the entire cocoa phase is butter".