EDISON, NJ. — AAK now offers Akolec, a line of plant-based lecithin emulsifier systems sourced from sunflower oil and soybean oil. The systems are designed to help improve nutrition, functionality and processing of a variety of foods and beverages, including baked foods, confectionery items, and plant-based dairy and plant-based meat alternatives, according to the company.

“We are excited to help our customer-partners achieve the ultimate solution in better-for-you foods with clean label, non-GMO and organic lecithin that is traceable and globally recognized as sustainable,” said Ryan Branch, senior marketing manager for AAK USA, Inc. “Natural lecithin plays a vital role in ingredient system success as it provides nutrition along with essential functionality that manufacturers need as they simplify formulations. This allows manufacturers to remove negative-sounding chemical ingredients such as mono- and diglycerides and offer a clean label to their market.”

The new lecithin ingredients are available in liquid, powder and fractionated forms with options to create tailor-made systems. They are natural emulsifying and release agents. Other benefits include smooth texture, homogenization, longer shelf life, easier handling and adjusting viscosity.