[en] Irvingia gabonensis seeds are rich in lipids. The fat extracted from these seeds is a lauric fat, that could have potentialities in confectionery applications. In the present study I. gabonensis seed fat (IGF) was evaluated as possible Cocoa Butter Alternative. To this end, IGF was blended with four liquid oils, those blends were further enzymatically interesterified (EIE) to improve physicochemical properties. The EIE blend with Dacryodes edulis pulp oil (DPO) as liquid oil, was selected as the best candidate. Iso-solid diagram was then constructed, in order to study the compatibility between this new EIE-blend and cocoa butter (CB). The SFC melting profile of IGF can be compared to that of cocoa butter (CB), but the melting point of IGF is higher. After blending IGF with DPO (90-10) followed by an enzymatic interesterification, a new interesting fat is obtained, which presents a melting profile close to that of tempered CB and that is stable in β’1. No tempering is needed to induce a stable conformation of the obtained fat, contrarily to CB. The new fat can be blended with CB, but their compatibility is low, as indicated by the iso-solid diagram. This suggests that a maximum of 5% of the new fat could be added to CB and that this fat could be suitable as CBS for chocolate compound and confectionery fillings.
