So good but also so delicate. Chocolate is a food that is very sensitive to temperature and humidity. Like wine, it requires special care in storage to ensure all its aromas are fully released when tasted, rewarding its many connoisseurs with a true moment of pleasure. Storing chocolate requires the use of professional equipment to ensure the perfect conditions for preserving its exquisite organoleptic properties.
How to store chocolate: temperature
Chocolate has a very narrow storage temperature range. The ideal storage temperature is between 13 and 18 degrees, depending on the type of chocolate. If temperatures are lower, below 15° C, condensation forms, the product becomes moist and sugars rise to the surface, making it rough and uneven. As with ice crystals, small crystals of cocoa butter in chocolate are brought together by the cold and emerge, forming a white coating with a grainy consistency. This phenomenon is known as ‘sugar bloom’. At excessively high temperatures, above 19° C, the product becomes soft and deforms the chocolate begins to exude: small oily, sticky drops rise to the top. At even higher temperatures, the fatty substances, the cocoa butter, melt and emerge, forming a whitish veil. Above 28° C, melting is triggered. In both cases, whether hot or cold, the organoleptic qualities are compromised and the structure is altered.
How to store chocolate: humidity, air and light
Contact with air and light are adverse to the proper storage of chocolate. These are in fact responsible for the oxidation process that changes the fat contained in the product into other substances: the transformation causes an alteration of the aroma and an unattractive smell. Another fundamental parameter for the conservation of chocolate is humidity. Sugar, which is present in the product, is hydrophilic: it absorbs moisture from its environment. Moisture facilitates the surfacing of fats and compromises the structure, making the product grainy. In the worst case, it also encourages the development of mould.
To maintain optimum taste and appearance, chocolate creations should be kept in an environment with a humidity of no more than 50% / 55%.
ILSA equipment for chocolate storage
The refrigerator is not the right tool for storing chocolate because it does not provide the ideal temperature and humidity conditions required by the product, being set at a too low temperature and with excessive humidity. It is also important that chocolate is not stored together with other foodstuffs, because it easily absorbs odours and is sensitive to changes in taste.
ILSA has developed professional equipment for confectioners to store chocolate.
The new Magnum Evolution refrigerated cabinet allows the user to set the desired temperature using the digital display, and thanks to the ventilated refrigeration system and indirect side air circulation, it allows the humidity values to be controlled within the set range, avoiding the formation of condensation. In addition, it is equipped with an IESS (ILSA ENERGY SAVING SYSTEM) energy-saving system that optimises operation and reduces energy consumption.
ILSA refrigerated cabinets are available in a wide range of models in terms of size, number of doors and tray capacity: discover them on the site or contact us for advice.
