Fats and oils
Always present in the kitchen, the careful and skillful combination of fats and oils is one of the secrets of the extraordinary variety of taste experiences with our treats.
Kinder selection
One of the secrets to the taste and texture that make our products delicious and different from one another, is the continual research 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 identify the best way to combine the various properties of different fats to make our fillings extra creamy for some products, or to create crisp and crunchy products
These careful combinations are also effective in blending our ingredients and their flavours together to create the taste we want. The delicate touch of a fat can enhance the taste of other ingredients, making the whole experience more refined for our palate. The goal behind all 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 locally. Once dried, they are ground and the fat is extracted and transformed into shea oil and butter. This precious raw material is used in the food industry and, in smaller quantities, in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries.
The Shea tree grows slowly, only producing fruit after 15 years and sometimes lives more than 300 years. It does not require irrigation or agronomic techniques and not only is it a precious source of income for local communities, it 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.
We use shea in select Kinder products, such as Kinder Hollow Figures and Kinder Surprise, to ensure the right texture and consistency.
Sunflower oil
Sunflower oil is extracted from the seeds of the Helianthus annus, better known as sunflower, native of 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 oils, rich in oleic acid, which is very stable and does not interfere with the other ingredients’ aromas, and therefore is particularly suitable to ensure the unique Kinder taste of our recipes.
The products that use sunflower oil are Kinder Bueno White, Kinder Joy, and Kinder Happy Hippo.
Hydrogenated fats
Hydrogenated fats are produced at industrial scale using a chemical process called "hydrogenation". This process can modify the structure of some fatty acids into "trans fatty acids", which scientific literature has shown producing the effect of raising levels of "bad cholesterol" in the blood.
At Kinder, we do not use any industrially produced hydrogenated fats. Small traces can be found naturally in milk fat but, according to experts, have no effect on health.
