SCIENCE BEHIND CHOCOLATE GANACHE by aleksandr Nenoglyadov
CHOCOLATE GANACHE SHELF LIFE
Ganache filling one of the most important part of confectionery, and, not by chance, the most challenging one. This post covers the basics to create well-formulated ganache with shelf life up to 3 weeks.
If you're in rush, here the quick hint: add 10% of the invert sugar to your ganache recipe, it bounds water in an affective manner, so ganache shelf life will be increased drastically by this little trick.
THEORY
When we speak about ganache shelf life, we should start with understanding water activity. As will be shown below you don't have to have an expensive Aw meter for that. The only trick here is to be good at ganache formulation.
Overall there are two approach to ace ganache formulation in that regard:
1. You should take into account sugar and water content, and adjust it to increase shelf life. You have to have good theoretical knowledge for that.
2. Temper ganache. Not so many people know and use this technique, but your ganache will stay stable for much longer if tempered properly.
3. Another approach is use software applications, so called ganache solution software or chocolate ganache balancing tool, which would analyse your ganache recipe and suggest improvements.
Anyway, in both cases, it's good to have some basic theory based knowledge about water activity. Let's dive into this topic.
1. You should take into account sugar and water content, and adjust it to increase shelf life. You have to have good theoretical knowledge for that.
2. Temper ganache. Not so many people know and use this technique, but your ganache will stay stable for much longer if tempered properly.
3. Another approach is use software applications, so called ganache solution software or chocolate ganache balancing tool, which would analyse your ganache recipe and suggest improvements.
Anyway, in both cases, it's good to have some basic theory based knowledge about water activity. Let's dive into this topic.
Ganache that is properly made can remain fresh for up to three weeks even at room temperature.
The critical internal aspect that dictates how long confectionery products can last is their water activity (Aw), which refers to the amount of moisture available for microbial growth (such as bacteria, yeast, or molds) or for enzymatic or chemical processes that could deteriorate the product. When considering how long these items remain edible, it's not just about the total moisture present; it's important to distinguish between "free" water and "bound" water. Free water, which is not chemically bonded to other components, is key to understanding shelf life.
Sugar is good in bounding free water. Invert sugar could be a better alternative to it. But keep in mind that it has more sweetness.
Chocolates and Confections, 2nd edition Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner, Peter P. Greweling.
Compounds like sugars, salt, and alcohol can chemically bind with water, effectively making it unavailable for microbial growth or for facilitating decay. This type of moisture is known as bound water. In contrast, free water is moisture that is not chemically bound and therefore can participate in chemical reactions, including microbial growth, which significantly impacts the shelf life of sweets.
The term water activity (Aw) measures the level of unbound water in a product, comparing it to the water activity of pure water, which is set at 1.00, denoting 100 percent free water. A product with no free water would have a water activity of 0.00. Since almost all confectionery items contain some level of unbound water, their water activity scores range between these two points. The lower the score, the less free water the product contains, making it less prone to spoilage.
The term water activity (Aw) measures the level of unbound water in a product, comparing it to the water activity of pure water, which is set at 1.00, denoting 100 percent free water. A product with no free water would have a water activity of 0.00. Since almost all confectionery items contain some level of unbound water, their water activity scores range between these two points. The lower the score, the less free water the product contains, making it less prone to spoilage.
Chocolates and Confections, 2nd edition Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner, Peter P. Greweling.
To determine the water activity, one can use a water activity meter or send a sample to a laboratory for analysis. Awareness of the water activity in sweets allows candy makers to gauge how long their products can last, ensuring they provide fresh, high-quality items. For artisan confectioners, a deep dive into the exact water activity of each product may not be necessary. A basic grasp of water activity and its implications on spoilage is sufficient to maintain a collection of fresh confections, avoiding over storage.
Ganache stands out as particularly vulnerable to spoilage due to its high moisture content and low levels of sugar that would otherwise bind and stabilize this moisture. As such, it possesses a relatively high water activity level which could lead to spoilage if not correctly crafted and managed. Marzipan and fudge also fall into the category of having higher water activity levels with a risk of spoilage, whereas caramels, being lower in moisture and richer in sugar, have less free water, contributing to a longer shelf life.
Ganache stands out as particularly vulnerable to spoilage due to its high moisture content and low levels of sugar that would otherwise bind and stabilize this moisture. As such, it possesses a relatively high water activity level which could lead to spoilage if not correctly crafted and managed. Marzipan and fudge also fall into the category of having higher water activity levels with a risk of spoilage, whereas caramels, being lower in moisture and richer in sugar, have less free water, contributing to a longer shelf life.
That's mostly it. This post was mostly theoretical, with some practical hints of how to create good chocolate ganache recipe. We found that you don't need expensive equipment in order to be sure in quality of your product. You also can either ace this topic yourself or use ganache solution software with integrated AI tools to simplify process by a lot.
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