Ingredients in focus: AAK’s use of shea in place of cocoa butter

Taste continues to be king in the confectionery world, according to Ryan Branch, senior marketing manager at AAK. And the ingredients manufacturer is looking for ways to deliver that quality to its customers while also being cost effective. 

“Whatever developments that we’re going to be doing, we are always looking at how the flavor is and how the mouthfeel is,” said Branch in an interview with Food Dive at IFT this week.

Branch explained that because cocoa costs have skyrocketed, the company is turning to shea to deliver on what he called cocoa butter equivalents. 

“Shea is a lesser, lower cost replacement for cocoa butter, and the ingredient is becoming more and more interesting to players in the space,” he said.

As a plant-based fat, shea can be used in everything from bakery items and confectionery fillings to nut and seed spreads.

AAK has also worked on a Generally Recognized as Safe approval from the Food and Drug Administration that expanded the usage of shea for the first time in 20 years. Last week, the company announced it had received a No Questions letter from the FDA for its shea stearin product, which can be used in products like spreads, margariens and other plant-based foods, it said. 

“Beyond confectionery, and beyond what is has traditionally been used for in personal care items, the ingredient would also be able to be used in plant-based foods and bakery items — where you’re looking for a structuring fat that has less saturated fat than say coconut, but still has that good foundation and provide functionality,” said Branch.

AAK is currently working on blends of different oils with shea to roll out to its customer base.

The ingredient begins as a kernel that falls from trees in West Africa. 

In 2021, the company entered into a partnership aiming to improve the livelihoods of 13,000 women farmers in northern Ghana and secure future supplies of sustainable shea. Known as the Women in Shea Initiative, the joint venture builds on AAK’s Kolo Nafaso shea sourcing program and has three goals: helping the women to a higher income by improving the efficiency and quality of the shea harvest, equipping the women to produce other crops that can provide an additional source of income and raising awareness of natural resource management to ensure the long-term conservation of shea trees in a region with a fragile ecosystem, according to the company. 

“It’s not charity giveaway. It is it is truly a partnership where we’re bringing rocket stones to the area so they know how to better process the shea,” said Brand. 

AAK has been working with shea for years, said Brand, and is already rolling out products using the ingredient. 

At IFT, the company showcased a raspberry truffle featuring a non-lauric filling fat that outperforms traditional lauric filling fats. 

The ingredient, Confao 12, is non-hydrogenated, non-tempering, low in saturated fats, and is a 1:1 replacement for cocoa butter. 

“It’s a cost-effective solution that doesn’t skimp on performance or sustainability,” the company said.