A manufacturer of ice cream scoops found white powder within sealed bags containing their product.
The ice cream scoops were found to be made of un-coated aluminum. Once placed within the individually sealed packages moisture resulted in oxidation of the metal and formation of aluminum oxide, which is a white powder. Subsequent analysis on several variations of their product, including anodized and polymeric coatings resulted in similar oxide formation. Even repeated cycles of cleaning using a standard home dishwasher resulted in oxide formation. The analysis, which included microscopy, Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometry and X-Ray Diffraction Spectrometry resulted in the conclusion to buy stainless steel and leave aluminum out of the kitchen.