AAK USA Inc. used the Institute of Food Technologist Annual Meeting and Food Expo (IFT19) to highlight its expanded portfolio of formulation solutions. 

New solutions include the launch of a new global brand for plant-based foods—AkroPlanet™, which is designed to offer formulators a real-life solution for plant-based food and beverages. AAK offered a menu of foods that showcase the latest indulgent and better-for-you bakery, confectionery, and non-dairy plant-based product trends. 

“At this year’s IFT we are thrilled to introduce our global brand for plant-based foods – AkoPlanet,” said Octavio Diaz de Leon, president AAK USA and North Latin America. “This new product supports AAK’s continued commitment to help fulfill consumers’ desires for better-for-you, clean label and sustainable products that look and taste great. We are also proud to share AAK has recently been recognized for our leadership in sustainability when we were placed on Corporate Knights Inc.’s 15th Annual Global 100 ranking of the world’s most sustainable companies.”   

“With AkoPlanet plant-based oils, formulators no longer have to sacrifice taste or texture for sustainably sourced fats,” added Dr. James Jones, vice president customer innovation, AAK USA, Inc. “We created a menu full of delicious real-life solutions for IFT19 attendees to sample. No matter your goals—nutritional, functional or driven by consumer trends—AAK can help you meet them. Our team really knows fats and oils, and we use food science, product development and an expansive toolbox of supplier partners to co-develop value-adding formulation solutions to meet your goals.”

AAK presented a range of samples featuring one or more of AAK’s latest multi-functional fat solutions that are non-hydrogenated and low in saturated fat. Samples included: 

• Vanilla soft serve plant-based frozen dessert served with a dairy-free caramel sauce featuring AAK’s newest solution, AKOPLANET™ CNO 16-003 ORD—made with organic coconut oil. This non-dairy, allergen-free vanilla soft serve dessert has a creamy texture and clean, delicate vanilla flavor—all without allergens associated with traditional dairy products. The caramel sauce features excellent mouthfeel and decadent texture, courtesy of AAK’s CONFAO™ 26, a plant-based confectionery fat—made with palm and/or palm kernel oil.

• Plant-based sliced cheese, a delicious dairy-free cheese answering consumer demand for savory plant-based snacks. The smooth texture with clean cheese flavor is made possible with AAK’s newest ingredient innovation, AKOPLANET™ PBC 28-001 ORG, a blend of organic coconut oil and organic sunflower oil offering the functionality to create an on-trend plant-based cheese sure to please dairy-free and dairy-loving consumers alike.

• High protein coated chocolate caramel bite, a chewy caramel enrobed in decadent chocolate confectionery coating fortified with 12g protein. AAK’s NEUTRESCA™ 55-43 FH and CEBES™ 29-72 NH confectionery fat made with palm kernel and palm oils, showcase how AAK’s cocoa butter substitute provides the optimal sensorial effect with no waxiness—all while masking the flavor of the protein, for a better-for-you indulgence with consumer appeal.

• Filled cinnamon sugar tartlet with berry filling topped with a streusel, a crisp and flaky, tender tart with a smooth, bold flavored filling for flaky indulgence without all the calories. The sugar and cinnamon flaked shortening provides the visual appeal of cinnamon spice with an even distribution of fat and confectionery-like meltaway, for a tender mouthfeel. 

The tartlet featured CISAO™ 78-31 sugar and cinnamon flake no-trans, non-hydrogenated shortening made with palm and palm kernel oil and CISAO™ 82-85 NC NF, a no-trans, non-hydrogenated all-purpose margarine made with palm oil to provide a 20% reduction in calories compared to all-purpose shortening, with excellent creamability and a clean mouthfeel. The streusel features CISAO™ 83-12, a no-trans, non-hydrogenated all-purpose premium shortening made with palm oil, offering reduced saturated fat and a customizable palette with no color or flavor of its own.

• Mardi Gras coated mini king cakes, deliciously fun coated cake bites that are rich, soft and slightly chewy—all wrapped up in a decadent confectionery coating. The cake featured CISAO™ 83-12 confectionery fat made with coconut oil to reduce saturated fat, yet give the velvety cake a desirable clean mouthfeel—all while offering great creamability and the ability to customize. The confectionery coating showcased AAK’s CEBES™ 27-63, a cocoa butter substitute made with hydrogenated palm kernel oil, to help retain its shape and structure for great visual effect and upscale appeal. 

• Nutrition enhanced yogurt shot, a creamy and delicious peach and passion fruit flavor yogurt shot nutritionally optimized with a blend of phospholipids from egg yolk and vegetable oils that are high in Omega-3. 

The yogurt shot featured AAK’s AKOVITA® ELIP, made with egg phospholipids and vegetable oils high in Omega-3, an oil blend providing a unique natural structure of phospholipid bound PUFAs (polyunsaturated fats) and naturally occurring choline in a highly absorbable form, fortified with additional DHA from single cell (algae)—that can act as a natural emulsifier. The result is a great-tasting on-trend drinkable yogurt. 

AAK offers a wide range of vegetable oils including Canola, Primate-Free Coconut, Organic, Corn, Palm & Palm Kernel/RSPO Certified/Segregated, Soybean/Project Verified Non-GMO and High Oleic Sunflower and Safflower. With their broad process capabilities and expertise in fats and oils, AAK develops innovative and value-adding solutions to address formulation challenges of all kinds and across many industries – Bakery, Chocolate & Confectionery, Dairy, Animal Feed, Frying, Plant Based, Special Nutrition and more. AAK’s proven expertise is based on more than 140 years of experience within fats & oils.

The AAK team would love to discuss your current product and process challenges and offer a solution from their wide variety of individual and multi-oil/multi-functionality fats and oils. AAK also works together with customers to co-develop customized solutions that make the most of their combined expertise to ideate and develop innovative new products. AAK’s coast-to-coast Innovation Center coverage and Customer Innovation Specialists increase their customer’s speed to market of innovative new products. Together, AAK can help you fulfill consumer desires for better-for-you, clean label and sustainable solutions that look and taste great.

Find out more about AAK USA by visiting www.betterwithAAK.com and www.aak.com. 

About AAK

AAK is a leading provider of value-adding vegetable oils & fats. Our wide range of raw materials, broad process capabilities, and expertise in oils & fats within food applications enable us to develop innovative and value-adding solutions across many industries – Chocolate & Confectionery, Bakery, Dairy, Special Nutrition, Food Service, Personal Care, and more. 

AAK’s proven expertise is based on more than 140 years of experience within oils & fats. Our unique Co-Development approach brings our customers’ skills and know-how together with our own capabilities and mindset for lasting results. Listed on the NASDAQ OMX Stockholm and with our headquarters in Malmö, Sweden, AAK has 22 production facilities and customization plants, sales offices in more than 25 countries and more than 3,700 employees.