Fat Bloom

Fat Bloom in chocolate

FAT BLOOM

Fat Bloom is common in the marketplace on real chocolate (contains cocoa butter only) and compound chocolate (contains hydrogenated palm kernel oil or coconut oil).

Fat bloom is the appearance of a milky dotted surface on the outside of a chocolate bar or unit. It is easy to detect by wiping your finger across the chocolate surface. If the milky dots disappear with your finger, then it is likely fat bloom.

So, when does fat bloom develop?

It can happen:

• When temperature fluctuates in storage areas such as in warehouses, within stores due to opening and closing doors or storage on high on racking with limited air movement.

• During chocolate moulding or enrobing when cooling temperatures are set too cold or the cooling time is too short.

• Early in the chocolate making process by such things as incorrect tempering, dirty moulds, fat migration from fillings and incompatible fats in the recipe.

So, what happens with incorrect tempering?

Incorrect tempering results in the chocolate:

• not setting hard

• snapping easily or

• losing its shininess.

Think about the temper process – each stage works hard at keeping the cocoa butter crystals in the correct order and arrangement. If one small thing changes or is incorrect, the bond between the crystals starts to break.

It doesn’t take long for the crystals to become disordered, and bloom to appear.

To prevent or minimise bloom during tempering you must understand the different time and temperature processes and how they need to be monitored or controlled.

Operating optimal tempering systems and cooling tunnels will help the transformation of cocoa butter crystals to the stable form of Beta crystals (Form V).

Ohlbach Consulting is experienced in:

• explaining bloom and tempering in more detail

• identifying a bloom issue

• finding and advising the reason for the bloom occurring and

• providing advice on and solutions to the problem.