article on new commercial egg replacers

[Guest guest]

Wed, 20 Apr 2005 08:16:26 -0500

" Rebecca Ortinau " <rortinau

**US ** Egg replacer from Unilever food scientists moves into

US market

 

20/04/2005 - A soy-based egg replacer developed by food scientists at

Unilever heads to the US, as Alleggra Foods, the company behind the new

ingredient, signs a distribution, manufacturing and marketing agreement

with Tate & Lyle for the North American and Mexican markets.

 

Recently launched onto the UK market, the new deal will look for gains

in egg replacers in a market where egg consumption is around ten times

the size of the UK, the equivalent to over 100 billion eggs.

 

*Tate & Lyle have a superb track record of selling high value-added

ingredients into this market, and have a marketing and sales approach

that fits well with Alleggra,* said Gavin Heys, chief executive for

Alleggra Foods.

 

Alleggra, composed of soy protein, whey protein, vegetable oil

(sunflower oil but can be varied) and egg white, was originally

developed as a project within Unilever to design an anti-cholesterol egg

replacer.

 

But because the product failed to fit into the number four global food

firm*s strategy * actually cutting back on brands * the company opted to

fund the intellectual property through a separate venture.

 

UK ingredients firm Tate & Lyle came on board in September 2004 with a

£1.6 million cash injection and a 15 per cent slice. The rest of

Alleggra ownership is divided between Unilever and management.

 

The GM-free product is marketed as a *fully functional replacer of egg*,

and claims to have 75 per cent less saturated fat than an egg, with 10

per cent more protein.

 

*Alleggra has clear advantages in terms of cost and health,* Gavin Hays

tells FoodNavigator.com, pushing the two key facets of the product's

commercial value.

 

The price volatility of the European egg market over the past 18 months,

in most part linked to the decimation of millions of birds through avian

flu, has led to huge fluctuations in egg product prices.

 

Food makers that use eggs extensively in applications from bakery to

dressings, have seen margins sliced by the rises. Yolk prices, for

example, rose from about £1700 a tonne in 2002, to £2250 in the last

quarter of 2003 and have since dipped to around £1750 ( 2524) a tonne.

 

But soybean prices, the foundation of the Alleggra product, are not

without their own fluctuation. In 2004 low inventories drove soybean

prices to 15 year highs: and despite some relief at the end of the year,

in February 2005 prices rose 20 per cent on January figures.

 

According to Hays, the Alleggra formulation can absorb much of the soy

price fluctuations: *on a soybean hike of 100 per cent, we would see a

10 per cent rise,* he says.

 

Alleggra is squarely positioned as not only a 100 per cent egg

alternative, but also to target the booming market for soy-derived

ingredients: a market that continues to enjoy strong growth on the back

of rising consumer demand for health-promoting food products.

 

After growth of well over 10 per cent in 2002, soy-based products again

showed double figure growth in 2003, reaching a value of 1.5 billion,

according to data from market analysts Prosoy. This growth is slated to

continue at the same pace until 2006.

 

In terms of food formulations, our ingredient can swing an end product

in favour of health, says Hays.

 

" Alleggra is not only cholesterol free but is actively cholesterol

lowering, " he adds.

 

Currently in two development trials with food makers *for muffin and

quiche products*, the ingredient has yet to reach an end product on the

shelves, but Hays is aiming for this to change *by May this year*.

 

Evidence of the market potential for the egg replacer, according to the

British Egg Information Service in the UK alone 32 million eggs are

consumed a day: and per head per year, just over 20 per cent of these

eggs are used in food processing.

 

In 2004 the firm signed off a £350,000 contract with Britain*s ministry

of defence for Alleggra to replace the ministry*s powdered egg rations.

 

FULL STORY: http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/ng.asp?n=59511

<http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/ng.asp?n=59511 & m=1fne420 & c=rxvmwvsefs

imsxv> & m=1fne420 & c=rxvmwvsefsimsxv

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

from Maida, Citizens for Pets in Condos <http://www.PetsinCondos.org>

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

This is an interesting development, but the product, if successfully tried and

released to the general market, would solve some health issues but not

ethical concerns.

 

The article says:

 

>Alleggra, composed of soy protein, whey protein, vegetable oil (sunflower oil

>but can be varied) and *egg white* . . . [emphasis mine]

 

But it's what they call a move in the right direction, no?

 

Pat