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Post by doclogic77 on May 4, 2010 16:31:16 GMT -5
I made milk chocolate about 12 days ago...it has been at RT. Anyone know the approximate shelf life of homemade chocolate store at RT?
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Post by Brad on May 4, 2010 16:44:11 GMT -5
That depends primarily on the fat content of your milk powder, or whether or not you used clarified butter as part of your fat content.
The longevity of milk chocolate is generally measured in units of months, whereas the longevity of dark chocolate can be for years, provided of course that there is no milk fat used in making the dark chocolate.
Given that both are quite lengthy periods one would hope their chocolate is liked enough to be eaten sooner! ;D
Cheers!
Brad.
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Post by doclogic77 on May 4, 2010 16:58:51 GMT -5
That depends primarily on the fat content of your milk powder, or whether or not you used clarified butter as part of your fat content. The longevity of milk chocolate is generally measured in units of months, whereas the longevity of dark chocolate can be for years, provided of course that there is no milk fat used in making the dark chocolate. Given that both are quite lengthy periods one would hope their chocolate is liked enough to be eaten sooner! ;D Cheers! Brad. So higher fat content...shorter shelf life...gotcha. My milk chocolate has a very high fat content...and yes I used clarified butter. So, when chocolate goes bad...is it dangerous or does the fats merely get rancid and taste bad?
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Post by Brad on May 4, 2010 19:05:37 GMT -5
Higher fat content does not mean shorter shelf life. ANIMAL fat content means shorter shelf life. Whether the animal fat is trapped in crystals of milk powder, or in the form of clarified butter, it will still go rancid.
With regard to whether or not the fat goes rancid or tastes bad, I'm not sure. Our chocolate doesn't sit around that long!
Maybe someone else with experience in aged chocolate with animal fat can weigh in here....
Brad.
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Post by Sebastian on May 4, 2010 19:17:29 GMT -5
It will simply taste bad. The milk fat will oxidize before the cocoa butter does, but eventually the cocoa butter will oxidize as well. If you clarified the butter yourself, it will oxidize more quickly than if you purchased anhydrous milk fat and used that (you've exposed your butter to lots of oxygen and heat, which speeds up the oxidation). I'm assuming that because you used clarified butter, your milk solids were nonfat, which is good - you'll get better shelf life than if you were to use whole milk powder.
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Post by Brad on May 4, 2010 23:09:27 GMT -5
Sebastian;
Speaking of oxidation of cocoa butter, how long does that typically take to happen?
Would the oxidation period be different if the beans were refined into liquor and then stored, than, say... If the cocoa butter was simply extracted, deodorized, and stored in blocks, such as what Cargill or Callebaut sells?
What would those oxidation periods typically be given the butter was sealed in plastic and stored in cool, dry conditions?
Thanks in advance for your reply.
Brad.
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Post by Sebastian on May 5, 2010 10:35:31 GMT -5
Depends on a number of things: 1) natural ccb will typically last longer than deodorized 2) in bean form, you've got more complexity - there's x% of moisture present, as well as moulds and larva that can do damage. if you want to store beans, that's fine, just keep them cold and very dry. 3) exposure to light is bad. flourescent is worse. 4) liquor stability depends on how you converted beans to liquor - ie some processes contribute metal to the product (ie, ball mills will abrade off small bits of metal). if that metal's an oxidative catalyst, you're not doing yourself any favors. again, best to keep it cool, dry, and dark.
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Post by Brad on May 5, 2010 19:36:44 GMT -5
Thanks!
It sounds as though I'm doing things right.
1. We only make liquor as we need it for our products. 2. Our climate here in Alberta is VERY dry. Typically the RH of our beans is around 3% after sitting here for a while. 3. The beans are currently in a sealed container behind our shop, which, as you know, has been cold all winter.
Cheers, and thanks Sebastian.
Brad.
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Post by Sebastian on May 5, 2010 20:08:42 GMT -5
No worries. I'm actually down in origin right now doing some fermentation work (i shoveled 8 tons of beans by hand today, gonna feel that in the morning). After doing that, a cold winter sounds mighty fine
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Post by doclogic77 on May 6, 2010 9:42:32 GMT -5
It will simply taste bad. The milk fat will oxidize before the cocoa butter does, but eventually the cocoa butter will oxidize as well. If you clarified the butter yourself, it will oxidize more quickly than if you purchased anhydrous milk fat and used that (you've exposed your butter to lots of oxygen and heat, which speeds up the oxidation). I'm assuming that because you used clarified butter, your milk solids were nonfat, which is good - you'll get better shelf life than if you were to use whole milk powder. To be honest, I used clarified butter and whole milk powder. Since, I'm inexperienced I have no idea if that's a bad idea. What I do know is the milk chocolate produced was superb...very much in line with the way I like milk chocolate. I would assume that will really shorten shelf life but not sure if there are any additional problems using those ingredients. I know it was tough to temper but I got the batch to mold.
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Post by doclogic77 on May 6, 2010 9:43:14 GMT -5
Higher fat content does not mean shorter shelf life. ANIMAL fat content means shorter shelf life. Whether the animal fat is trapped in crystals of milk powder, or in the form of clarified butter, it will still go rancid. With regard to whether or not the fat goes rancid or tastes bad, I'm not sure. Our chocolate doesn't sit around that long! Maybe someone else with experience in aged chocolate with animal fat can weigh in here.... Brad. Ahh ok...thanks for the clarification.
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Post by mephisto on May 13, 2010 21:42:35 GMT -5
Just read an interesting study done last year in Greece on the effects of packaging on the shelf life of dark chocolate covered hazelnuts(Mexis,Badeka,et al2009). Apparently, the fats degrade rather quickly (a matter of months) and become less healthful, regardless of packaging. Storage temp. was the most important factor in preventing this oxidation. I have had dark chocolate bars last years and seem almost better tasting over time, although perhaps less intense, but never realized the immense changes taking place on a molecular level.
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Post by Sebastian on May 14, 2010 13:58:25 GMT -5
Not having read the paper, my guess is that they're focused on the degredation of the hazelnut oil more than the cocoa butter, or the rate at which the hazelnut oil migrates into the cocoa butter and causes bloom. Hazelnuts are highly unsaturated, which means the oil is fluid. the warmer it is, the faster liquid oil will both oxidize as well as migrate.
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Post by doclogic77 on May 14, 2010 14:56:34 GMT -5
Just read an interesting study done last year in Greece on the effects of packaging on the shelf life of dark chocolate covered hazelnuts(Mexis,Badeka,et al2009). Apparently, the fats degrade rather quickly (a matter of months) and become less healthful, regardless of packaging. Storage temp. was the most important factor in preventing this oxidation. I have had dark chocolate bars last years and seem almost better tasting over time, although perhaps less intense, but never realized the immense changes taking place on a molecular level. I can't speak about chocolate aging. I do consider myself a semi-expert in cigar and pu-erh tea aging theory. If chocolate is anything like cigars...oxidation will have a positive effect on aging up to a point. Aging tends to meld flavors to make a more unified taste. It also tends to mellow out some of the tannins over time. Tannins can give you that astringent, bitter taste. Oxidation breaks down the tannins which is probably why the dark chocolate loses it's healthy benfits with time as well. Better tasting not always the most healthy. Reduction reactions in wine is what gives it it's improved taste. Reduction reactions happen in the absence of oxygen. This is a slower aging process which is why wine takes year, and decades to age properly. For many years, cigar aficianados in Hong Kong have used wine aging theory to store and age cigars. This is in direct contrast with the aging practices done in Switzerland. Those on Hong Kong often vacuum seal their cigars and store them away for decades. We are just now realizing the product is much superior. Why I state all of this is because I wonder how vacuum sealing your chocolate and storing it in a cool place...50-60F would help in the aging. I understand we are dealing with a different animal because of the fats and not merely vegetative products but I think it warrants an investigation from a pure therotical stand point.
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Post by Brad on May 14, 2010 15:28:13 GMT -5
I strongly disagree with the statement that better tasting is not always the most healthy, as it applies to chocolate. In my back-handed redneck studies I found that the better tasting the chocolate, the bigger the smile was on the customer's face (release of endorphins), and the more my cash register rang, which in turn allowed me to buy more go-juice for my dirt bikes, and indirectly put a REAL BIG smile on my face (release of more endorphins). LOL Just having fun here! After all, isn't that what chocolate is about? Brad
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