A chocolate seller's most important concern is to increase his products' shelf life. Many shops still miss some small details related to storage. In this article, we will highlight few tips to maximize your chocolate's shelf life up to 12 months.
Maintain your chocolate Temperature between 17°C & 22°C
Placed at a wrong temperature causes in damaging your chocolate. Putting your products at a high temperature badly affects the aroma and taste. Such conditions, causes your chocolates to melt, disfigure and generate white patches called fat blooms, instead of maintaining a shiny brown color. On the other hand, cooling your chocolate will distort the crystalline structure and texture. Therefore, to protect your products from losing their quality, store them at 17°C to 22°C. If you are living in a country where you can't conserve this range at room temperature, better place your products in a specialized refrigerator set at the required degrees.
Restrain humidity
Humidity is an enemy of chocolate. Excess of moisture drags the sugar out forming blooms. Sugar blooms, just like fat ones, only affect the chocolate aesthetically. To prevent this from happening, keep your humidity level below 50%.
Preserve a clean atmosphere
Leaving your chocolates open to bacteria and insects reduces their shelf life. To escape this, clean your hands frequently and keep everything surrounding your products sanitized. Constantly purify all the equipment used.
Keep air and light away
Exposed to air and light, chocolates will oxidize, change color and most probably lose the original flavor. The high concentration of anti-oxidants in dark chocolate permits it to tolerate air and light more than milk chocolate. However, to avoid damaging the taste in all types of chocolate, keep your products away from sunlight and make sure to sell them in wraps.
Use aluminum wrappers
In case your chocolate melts, paper and plastic wrappers discharge the butter to the outside. This is why, when put in boxes, fine chocolates are conserved in an aluminum wrapping. Studies showed that it's the best material used to enclose the melted butter inside. This helps maintain a clean box and reduces air contact.
In conclusion, keep in mind that the fresh taste of chocolate remains at it's best during the 6 months from the date of production; however, if you apply the above tips, you can lengthen your chocolate shelf life to a maximum of 12 months.
"We measure life not in years, but in the sweetness of everyday happenings; of sweet memories, sweet people, sweet dreams and sweet chocolate."- Crystal Chocolatier Factory
Crystal Chocolatier is a chocolate factory providing a wide variety of unwrapped chocolate; from milk, white and dark, with fillings to mixture and dip in chocolate. Today, Crystal Chocolatier exports chocolate to UAE, Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries.
