Emulsifier and stabiliser company, Palsgaard, is teaming up with research and development partners, Nexus and Aarhus University, to develop plant based solutions that can replace 10 per cent of the eggs used globally as ingredients.
The emulsifier specialist is collaborating with its sister company Nexus and the Denmark-based Aarhus University to launch the “plant-based food ingredients to be egg replacers”, or PIER, project. This aims to replace 10 per cent of eggs used globally as food product ingredients – in baked goods, dressings, desserts, and ready meals.
With a budget of almost $8 million, and a grant of almost $5 million from Innovation Fund Denmark, the PIER project will bring together manufacturers using significant volumes of eggs and egg powders in their products to develop an alternative that will cut recipe costs and reduce carbon footprints.
These companies will be able to co-create with the other project members and secure priority access to the new ingredients for their own products.
Nexus CEO, Claus Hviid Christensen, said that the PIER project is looking for food industry partners to test and develop recipes using solutions that are not yet market-available.
“Plant-based ingredients have enormous commercial potential as a replacement for eggs that can substantially lower carbon emissions,” he said.
“We may need to develop a range of solutions to meet different application requirements and we’ll also be exploring opportunities for partial egg replacement. 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.”
“We’re looking forward to hearing from manufacturers who are keen to join us in pioneering innovative new solutions,” said Christensen.
Sustainability is a key driver for the project, with the CO2 emissions from the global annual consumption of eggs equivalent to three times that of all container ship traffic.
It is estimated that 12 per cent of those eggs are used as ingredients in food products to provide functionality such as texture and volume by foaming, gelling and emulsifying. This would be equivalent to 100,000 tons of CO2 emissions, with a project aim to reduce emissions by 33 per cent.
