Page 47 - Ameft Journal 2021/1

A chocolaty ‘super compound’
Chocolate manufacturers can now reduce their formulation costs up to 40 percent with no decline in qua- lity or product stability, by making use of ILLEXAOTM, a ‘super compound’ de- veloped by AAK, a leading provider of value-adding vegetable oils & fats.
The super compound comprises ve- getable fats with a similar composition to cocoa butter. This means it is fully compatible with cocoa butter, which will allow chocolate manufacturers to use it in their products to reduce costs while continuing to add cocoa mass to their formulations. The super com- pound delivers equivalent taste, tex- ture and meltdown properties, as well as a similar nutritional profile.
“Our research shows that the taste of chocolate is by far
the most important factor for consumers. AAK’s ILLEXAOTM range of super compounds offers both a premium eating experience and lower raw material overheads, as well as a clean label and no difference in the nu- trition profile of the finished product.”, says Marco Oomen, AAK’s Global Business Director for Chocolate & Confectionery Fats.
(Source: AAK)
INGEDIENTS
FOCUS: BAKERY, CHOCOLATES & SNACKS
www.amefftt.com
AMEFT 1 2021 47
Super compound’ comprises vegetable fats with a similar composition to cocoa butter.
Traditionally, cocoa butter was the only vegetable fat used in chocolate, but a combination of increased de- mand, rising prices, varying quality le- vels and inconsistent supplies has led chocolate companies to seek alterna- tives. Standard compounds are more affordable, but the fat has a different composition to – and is not compatible with – cocoa butter, leading to sensory differences in the chocolate due to a lower cocoa mass content.
Depending on the blend of vege- table fats in the compound, manuf- acturers may be forced to consider compromising the nutritional profile of their product by adding saturated and trans fats. Technical difficulties such as these have therefore limited the use of compounds largely to cho- colate coatings.
However, by using the right vegetable fat to replace some or all of the cocoa butter in the chocolate recipe, it is pos-
sible to produce a super compound. This overcomes all of these obstacles, giving manufacturers the opportunity to create indulgent chocolate with ex- cellent sensory properties and clean la- bel credentials while saving 10-40% of ingredient costs. The exact amount of savings will depend on the recipe and raw material costs.
Additional benefits of using the super compound include increased scope for customization and improved shelf sta- bility, bloom resistance and shape re- tention. Increased stability is more es- sential than ever during the COVID-19 crisis, because many more shoppers are ordering food over the internet. Even before the pandemic, 35% of shoppers said they had bought choco- late online, according to AAK research. That figure is likely to have risen signifi- cantly in the wake of lockdowns world- wide that have forced people to stay at home for extended periods.