Our Sales and Customer Innovation teams in Sweden have over the last few years worked intensively together with selected Swedish ice cream producers to help them overcome some of the biggest challenges in ice cream production.
Traditionally, coconut oil has been the most commonly used fat base in ice cream. However, the heavily fluctuating coconut prices and an increased demand for coconut oil in food applications resulting in higher world market prices have sparked a need for alternative solutions. The ever-present health trend combined with today’s mandatory labelling of fat quality on foods have also created a willingness to improve the nutritional profile of ice cream.
Reducing costs by 20%
When changing ingredients, it is crucial to maintain the ice cream’s good taste, melting behavior, and color. To overcome these challenges, application specialists at AAK have developed the Akomix concept. Akomix LS40 has been introduced to the Swedish ice cream producers as a possibility to reduce the cost of ingredients with more than 20 percent compared to coconut oil.
Improved nutritional profile
At the same time Akomix improves the nutritional profile and maintains the performance of the finished product. Akomix LS40 has also enabled an easier forecasting as the blend is not solely relying on one raw material source and hence shows significantly less price fluctuations.
Close collaboration behind improvements
To ensure maintained functionality and taste as well as a smooth transition, AAK has offered extensive technical support during implementation, working closely with the customer’s production to advice on process adjustments and to make sure the resulting ice cream meets quality expectations. The outcome is an ice cream with excellent taste and functionality and with a healthier nutritional profile, paired with a lower cost base and easier forecasting.
—Ted Fyke, Regional Sales Director, Nordic & Baltics
