Fats and oils
Always present in the kitchen, their careful and skillful combination is one of the secrets of the extraordinary variety of taste experiences of our treats.
Kinder selection and quality control
One of the secrets to the taste and texture that make our products delicious and different from one another, is in the constant study that goes into finding the right balance among fats that are naturally present in our ingredients, like milk, cocoa and hazelnuts, and the ones we expertly add.
Our experts carefully study this equilibrium when creating our recipes and investigate the best way to combine the various properties of different fats to make our fillings extra creamy for some products, crisp and crunchy products, or to create products that are especially spongy and soft.
These careful combinations are also effective in blending our ingredients and their flavours together to create the taste we are looking for. The delicate touch of fat can enhance the taste of other ingredients, making the whole experience more refined for our palate. The goal behind this patient work is simple: achieving that perfect harmony between texture and taste, that is so dear to those who love our recipes.
Shea butter
Shea butter is processed from shea nuts and is used to enhance the taste and consistency in our products.
The Butryospermum Parkii, or shea tree, grows wild in the Sahel region of West Africa. The kernels are boiled, shelled and dried by the local population. Once dried, they grind them and extract the fat to transform it into shea oil and butter. This precious raw material is used in the food industry and, in smaller quantities, in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.
The shea tree grows slowly, only starting to produce fruits after 15 years, and can live more than 300 years. It does not require irrigation or agronomic techniques and is not only a precious source of income for local communities, but also contributes to slowing down the desertification of the sub-Saharan area.
In 2018, Ferrero became a member of the Global Shea Alliance (GSA), whose mission is to design, develop and run strategies that promote a competitive and sustainable shea industry worldwide, and to improve the livelihoods of rural African women and their communities.
In Kinder we use shea in Kinder Delice, Kinder Happy Hippo, Kinder hollow figures, Kinder Joy and Kinder Surprise to give the products the right texture and consistency.
Sunflower oil
Sunflower oil is extracted from the seeds of the Helianthus annuus, better known as sunflower, native to the American continent and now largely widespread around the world. The oil extracted from sunflower seeds is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, especially oleic and linoleic.
In Kinder we use a variety of sunflower oil, rich in oleic acid, which is very stable, does not interfere with the other ingredients’ aromas, and is therefore particularly suitable to ensure the unique Kinder taste of our recipes.
The products that use sunflower oil are: Kinder Brioss, Kinder Colazione Più, Kinder Pan e Cioc, Kinder Cards, Kinder Bueno White, Kinder Bueno Ice cream, Kinder Joy and Kinder Happy Hippo.
Sal Butter
Shorea robusta is a plant also known as sal or salwood, a forest tree native and widespread in India. From its seeds it is possible to obtain an oil suitable for consumption.
After the harvest, seeds are treated by separating the inedible shell from the edible kernel. The kernel is then ground, extracting the fat part, that is transformed into sal oil and butter. This raw material is widely used in food industry; Kinder uses it in Kinder Delice.
Sal plants have a strong social value, since their harvest involves local populations, representing an important income source.
Hydrogenated fats
Hydrogenated fats are produced at industrial scale using a chemical process called "hydrogenation". Unfortunately, this process can modify the structure of some fatty acids into "trans fatty acids", which scientific literature has shown producing the effect of raised levels of "bad cholesterol" in the blood.
This is the reason why at Kinder we do not use any industrial produced trans fats. Small traces can be found naturally in milk fat but, according to experts, have no effect on health.
