Speciality vegetable fat and oil producer, AAK, has announced the launch of ILLEXAO EN 10, a new cocoa butter equivalent for enrobed applications that enhances performance and formulation flexibility.
It cited rising demand for cocoa butter equivalents from manufacturers as they navigate cocoa price volatility, supply uncertainty and rising production costs.
However, traditional options can thicken chocolate mass, destabilise flow and lead to buildup in enrobing equipment, impacting processing efficiency and product consistency.
Thus, the new ILLEXAO EN 10 has been developed specifically to address these challenges and deliver guaranteed enrobing performance even at high cocoa butter equivalent levels.
AAK said that the new product behaves much closer to cocoa butter, even as the cocoa butter equivalent content increases.
This will enable manufacturers to maintain a stable, smooth flow, consistent coating performance and a high-quality appearance and texture.
It is suitable for use in any enrobing application, including chocolate bars, cookies, cakes, sandwich cookies and wafers.
ILLEXAO EN 10 features a specialised fat composition that reduces buildup, resulting in cleaner curtains and more uniform coating weights.
AAK said that this would enhance stability during long production runs, allowing manufacturers to operate faster and more consistently, even with higher cocoa butter equivalent levels.
Moreover, smoother processing results in lower energy consumption and less waste, rework, cleaning cycles and processing hours.
The brand added that the new ILLEXAO EN 10 also provides a "premium sensory performance," giving a clean, fast melt and a "crisp snap" with a smooth texture.
Morten Daugaard Andersen, Principal Research Scientist, Chocolate Confectionery Fats at AAK, said: "Manufacturers are facing unprecedented raw material price pressures, but consumer expectations remain unchanged."
"This means reformulation poses a risk and getting it wrong could prove costly."
AAK’s ILLEXAO EN 10 solves the production challenges associated with the use of cocoa butter equivalent at high levels, ensuring a straightforward enrobing process and a superb end-product that consumers will love.