AAK INTRODUCES AKOVEG® COCONUT OIL WITH FIBER FLAKES TO IMPROVE MARBLING IN MEAT ALTERNATIVES
Plant-based solution helps manufacturers to overcome formulation challenges and deliver the look and mouthfeel of traditional marbled meat that consumers will crave
(March 5, 2024) Edison, NJ– AAK, one of the world’s leading ingredient suppliers of value-adding specialty fats and oils, recently highlighted its latest plant-based innovation. AAK AkoVeg® 163-14 is a coconut oil and insoluble fiber flake offering that makes it possible for formulators to create a plant-based meat that contains less total fat and no cholesterol, yet offers similar visual appeal and cooking attributes as traditional marbled meat products.
“In plant-based marbled meats, pure fat solutions are prone to melting out under high heat conditions which result in voids,” said Andrea Weis, Scientist II, AAK USA, Inc. “Our AkoVeg® 163-14 coconut oil and insoluble fiber flake present formulators with a solution to mitigate void formation across various heat processing stages, while simultaneously enhancing visual marbling for more authentic meat alternative appearances.”
Fats and oils are fundamental for delectable plant-based foods, by improving the overall functionality, taste, and nutrition that consumers will find appealing and want to purchase again and again. With AAK’s patent-pending white particulate flakes that are made with coconut oil and insoluble fiber, this solution imparts all the visual appeal, mouthfeel and great taste needed to create a new generation of plant-based favorites.
This AAK solution can help manufacturers overcome tricky formulation challenges and offers many functional benefits including:
- Heat tolerant/stable – maintains a white-marbled visual fat appearance throughout multiple heat processes.
- Improved firmness and sliceability – in plant-based sausages and other link applications. Fiber flakes improve link firmness, facilitating a cleaner, more uniformed round slice when compared to links made without fiber flakes.
- Consistent flavor delivery and mouthfeel – delayed oil release allows for fiber flakes to oil out when heated in the final cooked application, more closely mimicking traditional meat, and contributing to the overall flavor delivery, mouthfeel, and visual appearance
- Optimized production –the combined fiber and fat flake reduces production time due to the ability to be free-flowing and easy to scale when added into the production process.
- Provides labeling benefits – AAK’s portfolio of plant-based fat and oil solutions offers clean label ingredients that are 100% plant-based, non-GMO and more.
- Sustainably sourced – from the source, to the plant, all the way to your brand on the store shelf, sustainability matters. AAK’s plant-based fat and oil solutions are sustainably produced and sourced to reduce environmental impact.
“At AAK, we are here to help formulators create better-tasting alternatives for plant-based foods,” said Ryan Branch, Sr. Marketing Manager, AAK USA. “Our comprehensive toolbox of multi-sourced specialty fats and oils helps formulators create healthier and more sustainable foods that are great tasting, clean label, animal free, and more. Plus, our Customer Innovation Center in Richmond, California, is dedicated to plant-based innovations and is fitted with a team of specialized food scientists and oil chemists who work directly with our customers to understand project requirements and determine the optimal fat and oil solution for each product.”
With local and global Innovation Centers, the versatility provided by one of the broadest lines of plant-based oils and fats in the industry, and more than 150 years of experience, AAK answers the most demanding product development challenges, co-developing value-adding solutions with customers.
To learn more about AAK’s latest Co-Development solutions that can help you get your products to market faster, click here or visit www.betterwithaak.com.
We are AAK – The Co-Development Company.
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About AAK
Everything AAK does is about Making Better Happen™. We specialize in plant-based oils that are the value-adding ingredients in many of the products people love to consume. We make these products better tasting, healthier, and more sustainable. At the heart of AAK’s offer is Customer Co-Development, combining our desire to understand what better means for each customer, with the unique flexibility of our production assets, and a deep knowledge of many products and industries, including Chocolate & Confectionery, Bakery, Dairy, Plant-based Foods, Special Nutrition, Foodservice and Personal Care. Our 4,100 employees support our close collaboration with customers through 25 regional sales offices, 16 dedicated Customer Innovation Centers, and with the support of more than 20 production facilities. Listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and with our headquarters in Malmö, Sweden, AAK has been Making Better Happen for 150 years.
