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Don’t let Fat Bloom ruin your Sweetheart’s
Valentine’s Day
Newswise, February 12, 2011 — CHICAGO—Giving
chocolate to your sweetheart on Valentine’s
Day is a time-honored tradition. However,
what you don’t want is to give chocolate
that has a chalky white film on the surface,
known as “fat bloom.” Not only does this
make chocolate less visually appealing, it
affects the texture and taste for your
sweetheart.
“Fat bloom happens when fat migrates to the
surface of chocolate as a result of storing
it at high temperatures or exposing it to
extreme fluctuations in temperature,”
explained Nicki Engeseth, PhD, member of the
Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and
lead researcher of a Journal of Food Science
study that investigated optimal chocolate
storage.
There are precautions you can take right
after buying the chocolate and when storing
it over an extended period of time. Dr.
Engeseth recommends the following tips to
help keep chocolate looking and tasting its
best both before and after Valentine’s Day:
* Purchase high-quality chocolate.
* Refrain from storing chocolate in your
cold or hot car after purchase.
* Keep chocolate at a constant temperature,
close to room temperature (68—74 degrees
Fahrenheit) or slightly cooler.
* Do not refrigerate or freeze chocolate.
“Even though chocolate has a long shelf life
and is safe to eat, it may not taste the
same or have the same creamy texture and
texture if stored improperly,” added Dr.
Engeseth.
Read the Journal
of Food Science study
on the Impact of Storage on Dark Chocolate:http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1750-3841.2010.01970.x/abstract
For more consumer food tips, visit www.iftfoodfacts.org
About IFT
The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is
a nonprofit scientific society. Our
individual members are professionals engaged
in food science, food technology, and
related professions in industry, academia,
and government.
IFT's mission is to advance the science of
food, and our long-range vision is to ensure
a safe and abundant food supply,
contributing to healthier people everywhere.
For more than 70 years, the IFT has been
unlocking the potential of the food science
community by creating a dynamic global forum
where members from more than 100 countries
can share, learn, and grow.
We champion the use of sound science across
the food value chain through the exchange of
knowledge, by providing education, and by
furthering the advancement of the
profession. IFT has offices in Chicago,
Illinois and Washington, D.C. For more
information, please visit www.ift.org.
