Palsgaard and Aarhus University are inviting food manufacturers to join them on a EUR 5 million project to develop new plant-based replacements for egg ingredients, called ‘Plant-based food ingredients to be egg replacers’ – PIER. The project aims to replace 10% of the eggs used globally as ingredients in food products such as baked goods, dressings, desserts and ready meals.
The solution is designed to cut recipe costs while reducing carbon footprint. The focus is on bringing in manufacturers that are currently using significant volumes of egg and egg powders in their products and seek alternative solutions to fresh and dried eggs.
The PIER project has a total budget of approximately EUR 5 million and has received a grant of EUR 3 million from Innovation Fund Denmark.
Participating companies will be able to co-create the solutions 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 R&D sister company, said: “The PIER project represents an exciting opportunity to drive positive change by developing more cost-effective, climate-friendly ingredients. 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.”
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% of those eggs are used as ingredients in food products to provide functionality such as texture and volume by foaming, gelling and emulsifying. Emulsifier and stabilizer specialist Palsgaard is working with Nexus and Aarhus University to devise plant-based solutions that can replace 10% of the eggs used globally as ingredients. This would be equivalent to 100,000 tons of CO2 emissions, and the aim is to reduce emissions by 33% (source).
To achieve this goal, the plant-based alternatives must meet all criteria related to taste, sustainability and affordability as well as functionality.
Christensen added: “Plant-based ingredients have enormous commercial potential as a replacement for eggs that can substantially lower carbon emissions. 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. We’re looking forward to hearing from manufacturers who are keen to join us in pioneering innovative new solutions.”
Photo: Palsgaard
