Developments in Producing 100% Natural Animal-Free Egg Proteins
Beyond being a traditional, unique, and highly versatile ingredient in baking and cooking, egg protein is a nutritional phenomenon: an abundant source of protein with the highest net protein utilization and amino acid scores.
However, egg production is increasingly challenging, with diseases, shortages, and climate change impacting yield and driving up costs. The egg replacement market is growing in response to health, environmental, and animal welfare concerns, with a Future Market Insights report predicting a CAGR growth of 5.6% to reach a value of $1.53 million by the end of 20261.
In response, developers have relied on plant-based solutions—including flax and chia seeds, chickpea-derived aquafaba, and mung beans—to mimic egg protein’s taste, texture, and culinary behavior. They may also produce alternatives using microalgae or even spent brewer’s yeast.
At the same time, innovative manufacturers such as EVERY (previously Clara Foods) have developed 100% natural, non-animal, and “nature-identical” egg proteins.
Why “Nature-Identical” Egg Proteins?
These “bioidentical” substances respond naturally across all traditional applications, such as gelling for cooking and whipping for baking, and deliver comparable aeration, texture, height, and foam stability to animal-produced egg protein. In addition, the technology may yield functionality not possible with poultry-based products.
Beyond delivering familiar and reliable culinary results, EVERY’s nearly invisible and highly soluble proteins are more sustainable than animal-based egg protein, particularly from a life cycle assessment perspective, and use less water, land, and energy.
How Are Animal-Free Egg Proteins Produced?
These 100% natural proteins are created through precision fermentation and analysis of the egg at a molecular level, with the white and yolk consisting of hundreds of individual proteins and ingredients.
The fermentation process acts on sugar and yeast, using advanced techniques and technologies to create “made for purpose” proteins. These pure, clean, tasteless, and odorless proteins are then tailored, individually or as a combination, through microbial DNA engineering and bioreactor technology to yield any ingredient.
Outcomes are GMO- and sugar-free, contain no rDNA, and are suitable for vegans. However, as components are “nature-equivalent”, the proteins should still be avoided by those allergic to eggs.
The Future of Food and Beverage Manufacturing
Lab-grown meat, dairy, and eggs offer a healthier, more sustainable, and kinder yet just as tasty future for consumers. Neutral flavor and aroma profiles paired with highly nutritious egg proteins can be transformed into specific animal-free ingredients, added to plant-based products to boost the protein content, or even included in animal-based formulations for enhanced nourishment.
In addition, introducing “nature-equivalent” options means faster and more cost-effective yield and results, with the same or better choices and outcomes.
Creating appealing and tasty non-animal products means relying on natural, plant-based flavor and aroma ingredients, with reputable molecule producers increasingly becoming essential to the future of the food and beverage industry and the planet.
Advanced Biotech: Natural Ingredient Solutions for Sustainability
Advanced Biotech delivers an extensive range of pure and 100% natural EU-certified, plant-based flavor and aroma molecules to mimic natural food and beverage substances, create new flavor profiles, or add taste or fragrance to existing formulations.
So, be part of an accelerating transformation revolution. Browse Advanced Biotech’s collection of distillates, aromatics, oleoresins, pyrazines, and thiazoles today. Please contact us for more information.
1 https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/egg-replacement-ingredient-market