AAK Launches Cocoa Butter Equivalent For Enrobed Chocolate Applications

AAK has launched ILLEXAO™ EN 10, a new cocoa butter equivalent developed for enrobed chocolate applications, as manufacturers look for greater formulation flexibility amid cocoa price volatility, supply uncertainty and rising production costs.

The company said the ingredient has been designed to address processing issues associated with standard cocoa butter equivalent options, which can thicken chocolate mass, destabilize flow and cause buildup in enrobing equipment. These challenges can affect line efficiency, coating consistency and final product quality.

According to AAK, ILLEXAO™ EN 10 behaves more closely to cocoa butter, even at higher cocoa butter equivalent levels. The product is intended to support stable flow, consistent coating performance and a high-quality appearance and texture across enrobed products including chocolate bars, cookies, cakes, sandwich cookies and wafers.

The company said the fat composition of ILLEXAO™ EN 10 helps reduce buildup, maintain cleaner curtains, support uniform coating weight and limit line adjustments, cleaning stops and instability during longer production runs. AAK said this can enable manufacturers to run faster and more consistently, while reducing waste, rework, cleaning cycles, processing hours and energy consumption.

ILLEXAO™ EN 10 is also positioned to maintain sensory quality at elevated cocoa butter equivalent ratios, with AAK citing a clean, fast melt, absence of waxiness, crisp snap, smooth texture, chocolate flavor release and a glossy, stable appearance. The product also supports resistance to fat bloom and stable crystallization.

“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,” said Morten Daugaard Andersen, Principal Research Scientist Chocolate Confectionery Fats at AAK. “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.”