AAK has developed Illexao, a range of fats suitable for making a “super compound” that can replac up to 100 percent of the free cocoa butter in a chocolate recipe.

In turn, this will enable chocolate manufacturers to reduce formulation costs by up to 40 percent with no decline in quality or product stability, the company says. 

AAK’s standard super compound solution is a blend of shea butter and palm oil. Alternative exotic fats can be incorporated in line with the chocolate manufacturer’s preferences. 

The main fat phase of the “super compound” comprises vegetable fats with a similar composition to cocoa butter. 

This means it is fully compatible with cocoa butter, allowing chocolate manufacturers to use it in their products to reduce costs while adding cocoa mass to their formulations. 

“The development and improving of our Illexao range of product is continuously ongoing and will continue to go,” Marco Oomen, AAK’s global business director for Chocolate & Confectionery Fats, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

Delivering on taste and texture
The super compound delivers equivalent taste, texture and meltdown properties and a similar nutritional profile.

Traditionally, cocoa butter was the only vegetable fat used in chocolate. Still, a combination of increased demand, rising prices, varying quality levels and inconsistent supplies has led chocolate companies to seek alternatives. 

Standard compounds are more affordable, but the fat has a different composition – and is not compatible with cocoa butter – leading to sensory differences in the chocolate due to a lower cocoa mass content. 

No compromise
Depending on the blend of vegetable fats in the compound, manufacturers may consider compromising their products nutritional profile by adding saturated and trans fats. 

Technical difficulties, such as these, have therefore limited the use of compounds primarily to chocolate coatings.

However, by using the right vegetable fat, such as AAK’s Illexao range, to replac some or all of the cocoa butter in the chocolate recipe, it is possible to produce a super compound. 

This overcomes all of these obstacles, allowing manufacturers to create indulgent chocolate with excellent sensory properties and clean label credentials while saving 10 to 40 percent of ingredient costs. 

The exact amount of savings will depend on the recipe and raw material costs. 

The “super compounds” additional benefits include increased scope for customization and improved shelf stability, bloom resistance, and shape retention. 

Priorities amid a pandemic
“With the recent COVID-19 developments and associated changing trends in the chocolate confectionery industry we see request from our customers for cost reduction solutions while keeping the product quality and sensory at the same level. With our super compound range of solutions we offer a solution to this which is appreciated by our customers globally,” Oomen explains. 

Increased stability during the COVID-19 crisis is even more essential because many more consumers are ordering food over the internet. According to AAK research, 35 percent of shoppers said they bought chocolate online even before the pandemic. 

That figure is likely to have risen significantly in the wake of stay-at-home measures worldwide that have kept people at home for extended periods.

“Our research shows that the taste of chocolate is by far the most important factor for consumers,” says Oomen.

“This makes it important not to cut costs at the expense of taste by using ingredients that are cheaper than cocoa butter but inferior in terms of performance. AAK’s Illexao 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 nutritional profile of the finished product.”

The growth of internet shopping has highlighted the need for manufacturers to ensure product quality remains stable during transportation to consumers, Oomen flags. 

“When storage temperatures are not controlled or fluctuate during distribution, products are prone to turn grey, dull and unappealing. For manufacturers that rely on online sales, this is a risk to the brand reputation they cannot afford to take,” he continues. 

Consumers are likely to send it back with the next post, perhaps never to buy that brand again. “This is wher the high bloom resistance of the super compound comes into its own, making it well suited to web sales.”

“based on AAK’s Customer Co-Development approach, super compounds can be developed for all needs,” Oomen further notes. 

“When producing chocolate this can be done with the traditional cocoa butter which works well. But with the continued high price of cocoa butter this is an expensive solution. As an alternative producers moved to the use of traditional vegetable fat compounds [cocoa butter substitutes] which is significantly cheaper, but is not compatible with cocoa butter and leads to differences in sensory and adjusted nutritional profiles as they add saturated and trans fats to it.”

With AAK’s Illexao range of super compounds, “we serve best of both worlds,” claims Oomen. “An indulgent chocolate with an excellent sensory profile and a clean label while saving up to 40 percent of the ingredient costs.”

According to Oomen, it is a competitive area as AAK is not the only company offering super compounds. Having said that, he believes that AAK’s Illexao range of super compound solutions is “superior to competition due to it functionality and it strong sustainability profile.”

“That’s a major plus at a time of uncertainty on global markets, and it’s perfect for budget-aware consumers who demand premium solutions and increasingly prefer to shop online.”