Why Chocolate Turns White in the Cold and Is It Safe to Eat 0 10

Sometimes dark or milk chocolate is covered with a white film or acquires a white sheen. What is happening, and is chocolate that has turned white safe to eat?

White Film on Chocolate

Don't worry: this chocolate is perfectly safe to eat. What you are observing is the result of a natural process known as 'chocolate blooming.' To understand why chocolate 'blooms' and how to deal with it, let's delve a little into the process of its production.

On average, cocoa beans contain about 50% cocoa butter and 50% cocoa solids. Cocoa butter is the fatty part of the beans, while cocoa solids are the dark component of chocolate. Cocoa solids give chocolate its color and most of its flavor, while cocoa butter is responsible for its richness. Cocoa butter begins to melt at around human body temperature, which is why chocolate melts in your hands.

After roasting, cocoa beans are shelled, and then their parts are ground into a paste known as cocoa mass or cocoa liquor. Dark chocolate is made from this cocoa mass, while milk is added to make milk chocolate. White chocolate is produced exclusively from cocoa butter and milk, without cocoa solids.

Chocolate blooming occurs when the molecules inside it begin to move. There are two main types of bloom — sugar bloom and fat bloom. Fat bloom occurs when cocoa butter rises to the surface of the chocolate due to heat, light, or improper storage. It appears as a white sheen or spots.

Sugar bloom occurs when chocolate is stored in high humidity or when cold chocolate is taken out of the refrigerator and exposed to humid air, similar to what happens with a bottle of soda taken out of the fridge. Such blooming chocolate is safe for health, although it may have a chalky or sandy taste.