Functional Ingredients Supplier Launches Clean–Label Egg White Alternative for Plant-Based Meringues
Ulrick & Short have launched a new clean-label ingredient aimed at replacing the functionality of egg whites in meringues.
The UK plant-based bakery sector is going through a period of rapid growth, with product launches featuring a “vegan” or “plant-based” claim growing 28.55% year on year (CAGR)[1]. Meanwhile, European egg prices have skyrocketed 69.3% in 12 months[2] because of an avian flu outbreak & rising energy & feed costs.
The new ingredient, called ovaproxTM 14, is a complete functional egg replacer for various sweet-bakery applications – most notably in meringues. ovaprox 14 has been specifically designed to behave very similar to egg white in a meringue application – it aerates when whisked to create a stable foam, ultimately providing a good internal structure, and a crisp eat throughout shelf life similar to conventional egg-based meringue recipes.
Additionally, ovaprox 14 is a functional egg alternative in other sweet baked goods, such as muffins & sponges. It provides not just the volume rise within the product, but also a good & consistent crumb structure. As well as being plant-based, ovaprox 14 is clean-label, using only the natural functionality from its crop bases & therefore having a transparent & consumer-friendly back-of-pack declaration.
Tom Bull – Ulrick & Short NPD Technologist & developer of ovaprox 14, said “the challenge in replicating the function of egg in a meringue lies in the fact that egg white proteins can be denatured quite easily, simply by using mechanical force such as a whisk. By whisking and thus unfolding the protein, you expose the long chain of amino acids that makes up a protein. The unfolded protein chain arranges itself in such a way the proteins lie on the interface between water and air, stabilizing air bubbles within the water & providing the stable foam needed for a meringue.”
It produces a stable foam when whisked, and very closely replicates the structure, bite, and mouthfeel of egg-based meringues. Indulgent plant-based bakery is growing, and we’re confident this new ingredient will move the sector on even further.
Bull added, “ovaprox 14 was designed with this specific development challenge in mind – we’ve managed to create a genuine plant-based alternative using our clean-label proteins. It produces a stable foam when whisked, and very closely replicates the structure, bite, and mouthfeel of egg-based meringues. Indulgent plant-based bakery is growing, and we’re confident this new ingredient will move the sector on even further.”
To find out more about ovaprox 14 & the science behind egg reduction, sign up to Ulrick & Short’s webinar discussing the functionality of eggs & how to successfully replace them.
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