Bad Cocoa Butter?

[Chocolate Fun Do]

I am an amature chocolatier. I have been making chocolate truffles and pralines for a couple years now, and have never worked with colored cocoa butter. So in my recent order of new molds and utensils I ordered some cocoa butter. As an amature chocolatier I am all too familiar with chocolate bloom, and would have considered this as just that and not though twice. Maybe the tubs were just merely store incorrectly and has caused these blemishes to appear.

However, I noticed that printed on the caps of 3 of the 5 tubs of cocoa butter are use by dates, all of which expired in 2009. Needless to say, I am a little disappointed that a reputable seller (from whom I have purchased over $3,500 of chocolate equipment in the past and never had a problem with) has allow products that expired in June of 2009 to be shipped out. My question is, do I need to be concerned about this? I'm using the cocoa butter as a coloring agent in molded pralines. And while I have no problem calling up the company to question this, I first want to know if it really matters? (Since if it doesn't, why bother?)

Please let me know if I have need to be concerned about the product. Thanks!

[Kerry Beal]

I've never really paid attention to best by dates on coloured cocoa butter - I'm sure most of what I'm using has long since expired and it works just fine. However - it's the principal of the thing - if I'm going to buy out of date stuff - I expect to get it at a discount!

[Chocolate Fun Do]

Thanks Kerry... I will simply go ahead and give it a shot. I just wanted to confirm that there weren't any health concerns I wasn't aware of!