Whether it is binding, emulsifying, providing structure, or delivering colour and flavour, eggs are incredibly versatile with a myriad of uses in food product formulations. Vegan consumers naturally demand products free from eggs creating a unique challenge to replace eggs whilst still delivering on functionality.

ProteinDistillery's vegan egg alternative is perfect for use in baked goods, meat alternatives, or for a scrambled egg-like dish.

In this newprotein exclusive interview, we ask Prof. Dr. -Ing. Tomas Kurz, co-founder and responsible for Product & Operations, and Laura Herz, R&D Food Scientist of ProteinDistillery, about their unique approach.

ProteinDistillery: Our egg-like protein is derived from brewer’s yeast, a side stream originating in the beer brewing industry. It is sold to the plant-based food industry for use as a functional ingredient in vegan products. It is created by dismantling/taking apart the brewer’s yeast into its functional components and then rebuilding them into an egg-like protein that has a broad variety of applications, depending on which components were chosen. Thus, we end up with a protein very similar to animal-based proteins, however 100% vegan and free of artificial additives. the flavour profiles in our final protein range from flavourless to umami, depending on the customer’s desired application. Furthermore, when using our protein to mimic an egg as a whole (e.g., scrambled egg), (natural) food colours or colouring ingredients are added, which will give it its distinct colour as the protein itself is off-white.

ProteinDistillery: Certain protein fractions of our yeast protein have excellent foaming and foam stabilizing capacities, which enable aeration during batter preparation. The pore structure is stabilized through the temperature-induced gelling of the protein during baking. In order to achieve the best volume, the preparation of the batter and the baking process have to be adapted compared to classical egg recipes.

ProteinDistillery: Yes, we have found that specific fractions of our yeast protein have excellent emulsifying properties. Several of our customers have already achieved good results in emulsion-based products like mayonnaise or emulsion-type sausages.

ProteinDistillery: At this point in our development, we are still focused on bringing as much functionality to the market as we possibly can with limited resources. Therefore, our vegan egg alternative is “simply” a substitute for whole egg with application in baked goods, meat alternatives (i.e., veganizing of vegetarian products), or for a scrambled egg-like dish. It is however not unlikely that we will introduce a version that specifically targets egg albumen by introducing a high-gelling protein fraction and egg yolks by introducing a high-emulsifying protein fraction in the foreseeable future.

ProteinDistillery: Our product comes in a powder form and is stored in dry and cold conditions. Shelf life will be in the range of 12-18 months.

ProteinDistillery: The functional protein may be labelled as yeast protein or brewer’s yeast protein. We are currently working on further labelling possibilities.

ProteinDistillery: Yes, it gels irreversibly similar to egg proteins.

ProteinDistillery: At the current stage, we are most proud of our protein’s potential to replace eggs in meat alternatives that still rely on the functionality of eggs (for example, sausages, corn dogs, etc.) We call this “veganizing” vegetarian products, so helping the industry take the last step towards delivering options for every consumer group.

Additionally, we’re exploring a market that has not seen much improvement on the plant-based front so far: baked goods. To be specific, many recipes – whether that is cakes, pastries, or other dishes somehow incorporating dough – rely on eggs. The foam formation, gelation, and binding functionalities of eggs are what give these foods their character, and being able to enter this market with a viable solution makes us very proud. There is so much potential in making this huge industry sector available to all consumers, irrespective of their dietary preferences.

Discover ProteinDistillery’s Vegan Egg / Options for Egg Replacement here or contact ProteinDistillery with the green button below.