Canadian Firm Recalls Fudge Product After Packages Found to Have Mold Growth

Authentik Fudge of Sainte-Julie, Quebec, Canada, is recalling 840 units of Chocolate Fudge with Nuts branded MONTREAL FUDGE, due to potential mold growth contamination.  The company initiated this recall after a consumer complained about some mold pieces inside the purchased box and also found also some remaining unpacked sealed products at the manufactured place that had beginning signs of mold.

Fudge generally has a low water activity level.  If higher, than preservatives can be added.  So if a product does mold where it normally does not, then it may have been mis-formulated.  Another possibility is that the product could have been exposed to excessive moisture from the environment where that moisture condensed on the product surface. 

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/authentik-fudge-recalls-fudge-nuts-because-potential-mold-growth
Authentik Fudge Recalls Fudge with Nuts Because of Potential Mold Growth
Summary
Company Announcement Date:  August 21, 2024
FDA Publish Date:  August 22, 2024
Product Type:  Food & Beverages
Reason for Announcement:  Potential mold growth contamination
Company Name:  Authentik Fudge
Brand Name: Montreal Fudge
Product Description:  Chocolate Fudge with Nuts

Company Announcement

Authentik Fudge of Sainte-Julie, Quebec, Canada, is recalling 840 units of Chocolate Fudge with Nuts branded MONTREAL FUDGE, due to potential mold growth contamination.

The recalled Fudge with nuts branded MONTREAL FUDGE were distributed on 2024-06-19 and 2024-06-20 through MARSHALLS and sold in the retail chains in the below states:

TJ MAXX: Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.

MARSHALLS: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming.

The product is packaged in a MONTREAL FUDGE gable box, Chocolate Fudge with nuts 5.6 Oz marked with the lot 0241500805 with expiration date of 2025/MR/01, lot 0241690105 with expiration date of 2025/MR/17, and lot 0241690205 with expiration date of 2025/MR/17, on the back of the box. No other products are impacted by this recall.

No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem.

We initiated this recall after a consumer complained about some mold pieces inside the purchased box and we found also some remaining unpacked sealed products at the manufactured place that had beginning signs of mold.

Consumers who have purchased those affected products are urged to destroy them or to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company AUTHENTIK FUDGE/MONTREAL FUDGE: info@authentikfudge.com or at phone number (450) 649-1331 / 1 877 313-1331 post 210 or 205.

Monday through Friday, from 8:30 am to 5 pm EST.

https://talcottlab.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/108/2019/01/Moistuer-and-Sugar-in-Shelf-Life.pdf

Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition

Moisture and Shelf Life in Sugar Confections 

R. Ergun a , R. Lietha a & R. W. Hartel a a Department of Food Science , University of Wisconsin , Madison, WI, USA Published online: 28 Jan 2010.

Excerpt

 

Caramel and Fudge 

Caramel and fudge generally consist of sugars, corn syrup, milk protein (often from sweetened condensed milk), fat (may be milk fat or vegetable fat), salt, and water. Fudge is typically consideredacrystallizedcaramel(Jeffery,2001;Jackson,1995). The ingredients are cooked to drive off water, leaving anywhere from about 6 to 18% water content for caramels. During cooking, the Maillard reaction occurs between reducing sugars and proteins to give the desired caramel flavor and color (Jeffery, 2001). 

Caramels and toffees have an ERH between about 45 and 60%, depending on moisture content and formulation, with fudge often having a slightly higher value due to the sugar crystallization (Willis, 1998). Caramel is an on crystallineamorphous suga rcandy,although commercial caramels may consist of some (<10%) small sugar crystals to modify texture and reduce stickiness. The organization of protein aggregates around fat globules contained within the amorphous sugar matrix provides stand-up properties and prevents cold flow. Due to the wide range of water content, between about 6 to 18%, caramel can have textures from soft and runny to very hard and firm. Texture may be “short” when slight graining occurs. The final water content of caramel and fudge is critical to the texture, quality, and shelf stability. The water content of caramel varies from as low as 4–6% to as high as 18%, with texture ranging from very hard and brittle to soft and runny over that range. The glass transition temperature, governed by water content and composition, directly correlates to the texture. Chung et al. (1999) measured the glass transition temperatures of caramels made with different types of corn syrup and correlated these results with general textural attributes. Caramel formulations were all cooked to the same temperature (119◦C, 246◦F) so that the water content varied with the type of corn syrup used in the formulation. Caramel made with high fructose corn syrup had the highest water content of 9.6% (due to the highest boiling point elevation of the corn syrups studied) and the lowest Tg of 0◦C(32◦F). This caramel was softest and runniest, reflecting the very low Tg. On the other extreme, the caramel made with 26 DE corn syrup had the lowest water content (lowest boiling point elevation) of 8.4% and the highest Tg of 20◦C(68◦F). This caramel was quite hard, reflective of the fact that its Tg was only slightly below room temperature. The caramels made with 42 and 62 DE corn syrups had intermediate Tg values, as expected, of 9◦C (48.2◦F) and 5◦C (42◦F), respectively. As expected, their textures fell between those of the two extremes. This example clearly shows how simply changing the type of corn syrup in a caramel formulation can dramatically affect texture, in part through the effect on water content and Tg. For comparison, Foegeding and Steiner (2002) found a Tg of −14.8◦C(5.4◦F) for a caramel made with 63DEcornsyrupandcookedonlyto115◦C(239◦F).Thehigher water content remaining in this caramel formulation led to the much lower Tg than found by Chung et al. (1999) for a similar caramel. Dissolved sugars and salts lower water activity to help stabilize against microbial growth; however, some fudge products may have sufficiently high aw (above 0.65) to support mold growth. Caramels and fudge with high water content (high aw) may need added preservatives, like potassium sorbate, to stabilize against mold growth. Besides mold growth, graining (moisture loss) and stickiness (moisture gain) are potential shelf life issues for caramel. High water content and/or high DE corn syrup content may cause stickiness, whereas inappropriate ratios of sucrose to corn syrup and sucrose to water can lead to graining (Lenz and Hartel, 2005).