We open a bar of chocolate or a box of chocolates and there are several things we can expect: a soft aroma, a crunchy sound when we break it and a shiny and very attractive appearance. What we don’t expect, or at least isn’t desirable, is finding gray streaks, white spots, and discolored swirls that don’t make chocolate palatable.
What are these spots really? Are we talking about mold? Can we continue eating it without problems or do we have to throw it away? What is really behind this white layer? Bacteria? Pathogens? In reality, the problem does not go much beyond an unappetizing appearance. This you should know about its origin.
Chocolate with white spots, a harmless natural process
The whitish coating on a brown chocolate bar is known as sugar bloom or fat bloom, and both can alter the appearance of the chocolate. In the first case, that of sugar bloom, the problem lies in the humidity of the surface and the fact that sugar has a great capacity to absorb moisture. It is precisely this moisture that causes the sugar in the chocolate to melt and, when it evaporates, larger sugar crystals form, creating a white, powdery layer on the surface of the chocolate.
This particularity is what causes the chocolate to take on an opaque and matte image, and the texture becomes sandy to the touch. This occurs when storage conditions are excessively humid or when the temperature is relatively cold – and this is what would explain why we should not store chocolate in the refrigerator. When we do this, we cause the chocolate to ‘sweat’, which produces surface moisture. It is something similar to what happens when we take a bottle of water out of the refrigerator, which accumulates moisture on its surface.
On the other hand, fat bloom occurs during the making or storage of chocolate. When properly tempered (a heating and cooling process that stabilizes and solidifies the cocoa, cocoa butter, and sugar) is when chocolate takes on its shiny, crunchy appearance.
However, if we let the chocolate heat up, the fat crystals melt and, when they crystallize again, they do so unstablely, creating the typical white streaks of fat on the surface. In research published by the American Chemical Societyexperts explain how this process occurs and how it can be prevented: the study suggests that reducing the porosity of chocolate during its production could help stop the appearance of this fat layer and improve the overall quality of the chocolate.
Whatever the case, it is perfectly safe to eat this candy because the layer that forms does not affect its shelf life. Now we can better understand that the chocolate, whether due to excess sugar or fat, has not been spoiled, only its internal structure has changed, since the sugar or fat have lost their corresponding positions and have spread everywhere.
However, although a whitish chocolate bar is safe to consume, it may not taste the best as it has lost the original consistency and flavour: the texture appears chalky and crumbly and the chocolate will break into pieces even sooner. to start melting.
Temperature and humidity: keys to preventing white spots from appearing in chocolate
To prevent chocolate from turning white, we need to handle and store it carefully. And here temperature and humidity play a key role. One of the best ways to prevent chocolate from going bad is to store it at a constant temperature and not too high or too cold, but away from humidity, in a cool and dry place, in an airtight container and always better if it is in a dark place, away from any light source. The ideal temperature is between 15°C and 20°C.
If the temperature at home is higher, we can store it in the refrigerator, but always keeping one aspect in mind: wrap it very well in film transparent or aluminum foil and place it in an airtight container to prevent the moisture inside from causing the sugar to spoil.
When we take it out of the refrigerator, it is important that we let it reach room temperature before unwrapping it, for about 15 or 20 minutes, to let the chocolate heat up gradually and avoid condensation, which is what can cause the sugar to or grease disperse on the surface.
We must keep in mind that, although chocolate in the refrigerator can technically extend its shelf life, it can also decrease the quality of its flavor because the cold temperature can encourage the formation of condensation and thus affect its flavor. We are faced with a food that is not only susceptible to temperature and humidity, but also has a great capacity to absorb odors, which forces us to keep it away from foods with strong odors. What’s more, when handling it, it is not advisable to touch it with wet or damp hands either.
How can we know that the chocolate is bad?
Now that we know that white spots are not a sign of deterioration or expiration, it is important to know when we should worry. Although it is also true that chocolate has a low water content, which inhibits the growth of microorganisms and, therefore, is more difficult for it to spoil.
But it can still happen. There are several indicators that tell us that chocolate has expired – although it has a long shelf life, about six to eight months for milk chocolate and a little longer for dark chocolate. One of these indicators is the presence of a dull appearance, a musty or rancid odor, or a sour taste.
The presence of mold is another great indicator that the chocolate has gone bad and a clear sign that we need to throw it away. The presence of real mold has nothing to do with the white spots we have talked about: the whitish layer is more of an aesthetic problem that does not make it harmful, but mold is a sign of deterioration and, in this case, when The chocolate is moldy, so it is better to throw it away.
It is always important, in addition to paying attention to certain signals that foods send us, to verify the best before date on the packaging. It is likely that we will observe that there are differences between that of milk and white chocolate, which is usually a little higher than that of dark chocolate. The explanation lies in the higher fat content, which makes these chocolates more sensitive to heat and with these temperature variations the deterioration process is accelerated.
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