It’s safe to say that most people consider chocolate a pleasurable indulgence, whether it’s a creamy milk or rich dark variety.
But have you ever unwrapped a bar of chocolate in excitement, only to discover it’s covered in unappealing, white, powdery specks?
This is apparently so off-putting to us chocoholics that, every year, millions of pounds worth of chocolate goes to waste, the Mail Online reports. The sad thing is that, even though it may be a little unsightly, the food is still completely edible.
Why does chocolate turn white?
The white marks appear when fat particles in the chocolate separate due to cold or hot temperatures. The fat rises to the surface of the chocolate through small cracks.
If you store chocolate in a place that is too cold or too warm, the so-called ‘fat bloom’ will materialise.
Presenter Jimmy Doherty investigated this issue on Channel 4’s Food Unwrapped, on Monday 19 March. He revealed that scientists have only recently discovered how the white marks appear on the chocolate’s surface.
They came to the discovery after using the world’s biggest X-ray at a factory in Hamburg, Germany.
‘Crystalline fat melts and the fat can start moving via the cracks,’ scientist Dr Stephen Roth said. ‘This is where the fat can go into and then it goes to the surface.’
Also according to the TV show, thousands of customers complain about this problem every year which costs the industry millions of pounds annually.
How to stop white fat bloom
During a trip to the Lindt factory in Switzerland, the show also revealed that it’s best to keep chocolate stored between 14°C and 18°C to stop white bloom appearing.
But chocolate lovers will be pleased to hear the other advice from Lindt’s chocolatiers, who say the best way to prevent bloom is to eat the chocolate quickly before it has a chance to form. That sounds like an excuse to eat all our Easter eggs in one go!
