Development of Cocoa Butter Equivalent from Tengkawang and Coconut Oils via Chemical Interesterification

The chocolate industry requires cocoa butter (CB) with specific melting and crystallization characteristics, while supply and price fluctuations have encouraged the development of alternative fats. Tengkawang oil (illipe butter) is a potential local raw material for cocoa butter equivalent (CBE) production. This study evaluated five tengkawang oil:coconut oil formulations (90:10, 85:15, 80:20, 75:25, and 70:30, % w/w) before and after chemical interesterification using 0.2% sodium methoxide at 110°C for 60 minutes, followed by catalyst inactivation, bleaching, and deodorization. The evaluated parameters included the CB-characteristic triacylglycerols (TAGs) POP, POS, and SOS; TAG groups; CBE index; slip melting point (SMP); and iodine value (IV). The primary selection criterion was the total POP+POS+SOS content relative to the CB reference (78.80%). The 90:10 formulation exhibited the highest post-interesterification POP+POS+SOS content, increasing from 74.25% to 77.67%, equivalent to 98.56% of the reference value. However, its CBE index decreased slightly from 67.9% to 67.8%, while SMP increased from 30.60°C to 30.95°C and IV increased from 29.4 to 30.1 g I₂/100 g fat, remaining below the CB reference range of 33–42 g I₂/100 g fat. Although the 90:10 formulation showed the closest similarity in the three principal CB-characteristic TAGs, this similarity did not extend to all physicochemical properties. Therefore, it represents a promising formulation for further CBE development, requiring replicated experiments and additional functional characterization for validation.