Palsgaard's project to develop alternative egg ingredients

Palsgaard and Aarhus University are inviting food manufacturers to collaborate on the project to develop new plant-based replacements for egg ingredients.

The €5 million PIER (plant-based food ingredients to be egg replacers) project aims to replace 10% of the eggs used globally as ingredients in food products such as baked goods, dressings, desserts and ready meals.

Eggs are used as ingredients in food products to provide functionality such as texture and volume by foaming, gelling and emulsifying. The plant-based alternatives must therefore deliver on taste, sustainability and affordability as well as functionality.

A range of solutions may need to be developed to meet all the different application requirements. The company said it will also be exploring opportunities for partial egg replacement.

The project aims to bring in manufacturers that are currently using significant volumes of egg and egg powders in their products and have an ambition to reduce their reliance on fresh and dried eggs.

By taking part, companies will be able to co-create with the other project members and secure priority access to the new ingredients for their own products.

Claus Hviid Christensen, Chief Executive Officer of Nexus, Palsgaard’s specialised R&D sister company, said: “We’re looking to bring in partners from the food industry who are ready to co-create with us, testing their existing recipes and developing new recipes using solutions that are not yet available on the market. By securing first-mover advantage on next-generation egg replacements, the successful applicants will get a big head start in being able to cut their costs and their carbon footprint.”

For more information, visit https://palsgaard29625.ac-page.com/pierproject.

Image credit: Palsgaard A/S.