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Post by Brad on Feb 11, 2008 13:14:51 GMT -5
Here's an intriguing question for you all you budding chocolatiers and alchemists alike out there:
How can companies such as Purdy's, etc, publicly promote the use of the "freshest" ingredients (including fresh cream) in their pralines, ship them to their stores, and have them sit in unrefrigerated display cases for up to 5 weeks at a time?
THE REAL QUESTION HOWEVER: How come their truffles don't go bad or mouldy, when almost every truffle I've made and left to sit out for more than 7 days does in fact go rancid or mouldy, and my kitchen is impeccably clean?
I've added this thread here, because it's an important point in product differentiation (other than the fact that we're actually MAKING chocolate, and Purdy's doesn't).
Eagerly looking for feedback people!
Brad.
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Post by jamescary on Feb 11, 2008 14:31:51 GMT -5
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gap
Apprentice
Posts: 390
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Post by gap on Feb 11, 2008 18:52:22 GMT -5
Brad - are you adding any alcohol, invert sugar or glucose/corn syrup to your truffle recipes? Doing so can have positive influences on the finished product and also help increase shelf life. I make truffles at home which easily maintain a two week shelf life when left in a dark spot (eg., in a cupboard).
Opening it up to the Board - do people out there consider invert sugar, glucose or corn syrup as "bad" preservatives to be avoided in their finished products? Personally I don't but I'm keen to hear what others think. If you do think of them as preservatives that should be avoided, what about honey which is a natural invert sugar?
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Post by Brad on Feb 11, 2008 18:59:23 GMT -5
Thanks for the feedback! Keep it coming!
Oh... and no, I don't use alcohol, or any types of invert sugars.
Brad
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Post by Alchemist on Feb 13, 2008 14:59:43 GMT -5
I am not sure what to tell you. Over the last few weeks I have made a few hundred truffles, and currently many are a couple weeks old with no problems at room temperature.
Let's see - are you boiling your cream? How are you coating them - tempered or non-tempered and coated? Are you hand rolling - gloves or bare hands?
For mine they have all had boiled cream, softened butter and hand rolled (washed but no gloves), both with tempered and non-tempered coatings.
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Post by sugaralchemy on Feb 27, 2008 15:34:26 GMT -5
There are many different approaches to creating truffles that have a long shelf life. Preservatives are one option, yes, but they're by no means the only option. As the linked article touches on, beyond sanitization and preservatives, there are a few fundamental approaches:
1) Reduce water content as much as possible.
2) Increase soluble solids as much as possible, while lowering their molecular weight.
3) Lower the pH.
Reducing water can be achieved by using less cream and more sugar, effectively. You can also use cream with higher milkfat percentages. You can even add pure milkfat, or other fats that have a satisfying texture. Invert sugar or corn syrup is a good option, as they offer sweetness with a lower molecular weight, which allows them to better control microbial growth.
Depending on the flavor, a touch of salt may be acceptable, and might even contribute to shelf life. Lowering the pH (try citric acid) is another way to improve shelf life, but once again depends on the flavor.
One of the simplest approaches to solving this problem is to simply do a water-free truffle filling, which is refined and used as the center. Think about something like Nutella, basically, but perhaps make it a touch firmer and with higher quality ingredients. You'll see this approach used in some commercial products. You can even obtain dried cream commercially, so you can have "cream" in the formula. The resulting product can taste great and shelf life, because the product is water-free, is virtually unlimited with no preservatives.
There's an immense amount of work you can do with truffle fillings. Working with a knowledgeable formulator and even having water activity calculated or tested can be a valuable tool, if you're trying to launch a commercial product.
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