How to distinguish between genuine and fake chocolate

The authenticity of chocolate can be distinguished by observing its appearance, smelling its aroma, tasting its taste, checking its ingredient list, testing its melting point, and other methods.

1. Appearance

The surface of real chocolate is smooth and glossy, with a uniform color of dark brown or milky yellow, and no white frost or bubbles. Fake chocolate may have uneven color, rough surface, and white spots, which may be the crystallization of fat or sugar. High quality chocolate has a neat cross-section and produces a crisp sound when broken, while low-quality products have loose and fragile cross-sections.

2. Smell

True chocolate emits a strong cocoa aroma, dark chocolate has a bitter and mellow aroma, and milk chocolate presents a mixed aroma of milk and cocoa. The fake chocolate may emit pungent essence smell, fuel consumption smell or other peculiar smell. Chocolate made from pure cocoa butter has a long-lasting and natural aroma, while cocoa butter substitute products have a lighter and impure odor.

3. Taste

True chocolate melts in the mouth, with a delicate and smooth texture. Dark chocolate is slightly bitter and sweet, while milk chocolate has a moderate sweetness. Fake chocolate may have a waxy, sticky, or grainy texture, with a sudden and short-lived sweetness. High quality chocolate melts to form a uniform liquid on the tip of the tongue, while inferior products may clump or layer.

4. Check the ingredient list

The first ingredient in real chocolate should be cocoa liquid block, cocoa butter or cocoa powder, and white sugar should be ranked lower. ingredients such as cocoa butter, hydrogenated vegetable oil, and margarine are suspected to be fake chocolate. Dark chocolate with cocoa solids content that meets the standard should be labeled with specific percentages, and the higher the content, the better the quality.

5. Testing melting point

Cocoa butter has a melting point of about 34-38 ℃. Real chocolate will slowly melt in the palm of the hand and is not sticky. Fake chocolate may melt too quickly or require higher temperatures due to the presence of cocoa butter substitutes. When chocolate is placed in a 25 ℃ environment, the genuine product can maintain its shape for several hours, while inferior products may quickly soften and deform.

When purchasing chocolate, it is recommended to choose products from legitimate channels and pay attention to storage conditions to avoid high temperatures and humidity. True chocolate contains beneficial ingredients such as cocoa polyphenols, but daily intake should be controlled. Special groups such as diabetes patients can choose sugar free chocolate, and those allergic to dairy products need to avoid products containing milk ingredients. It is recommended to seal and avoid light during storage, and keep the temperature at 15-20 ℃.