HK1087598B - Egg replacer concentrate and liquid egg replacer - Google Patents

Description

Egg replacer concentrate and liquid egg replacer

The present invention relates to an egg replacer concentrate with a low cholesterol content and a liquid egg replacer with a low cholesterol content.

Eggs are a common food and food component. However, its cholesterol content is of concern. In addition, there are health concerns regarding its saturated fatty acid content and the risk of salmonella contamination. To address this problem, a number of compositions have been proposed to replace eggs.

US 4103038 discloses an egg replacer composition based on ultra-filtered whey protein, fat and an emulsifier.

US 4120986 describes the preparation of a high protein content material containing 25-55% protein, 5-15% fat and 25-50% carbohydrate, which is then further processed with an emulsifier, lecithin, pregelatinized starch and gum to form an egg replacer.

US 4296134 describes a liquid egg mix containing less than 1.25% by weight fat and comprising 60-96 parts by weight (pbw) of protein, 0-18pbw of water, 2-10.5pbw of protein substitutes and minor amounts of stabilisers, flavours and colouring agents.

US 4360537 discloses a process for the preparation of a lipoprotein latex system based on soy isolate which can be used to replace egg yolk in various food products. The preparation contains abundant soluble carbohydrate.

US 5725899 describes the preparation of a composition consisting of soy flour and soy oil which reconstitutes a milk-like protein beverage in water.

JP 53032161 describes a method for preparing a cholesterol-free egg composition comprising 70-95.5% by weight of egg white, 0.005-0.3% by weight of xanthan gum, 0.04-0.2% by weight of carboxymethyl cellulose, 0.04-0.2% by weight of guar gum, 3-8% by weight of solid skimmed milk, 9-13% by weight of vegetable oil and 0.25-0.35% by weight of lecithin.

Despite the enormous efforts invested, egg replacer products have not met with the expected success. In particular, there is a problem in that in use, the rheological properties of the eggs are substantially deviated. Cooking with egg replacer products, such as scrambled eggs or omelets, it is desirable that the liquid egg replacer composition be relatively thin and remain so for a longer period of time prior to cooking. Upon cooking, it is desirable that the egg replacer composition congeals. When preparing or eating, the prepared food should have a consistency, i.e. it should be perceived that these food items are similar to those prepared from whole eggs.

Other problems are due to the often complicated processing, sometimes expensive equipment, and/or the use of ingredients which are not readily available or expensive in the preparation of the proposed egg replacer. There is also the problem of off-taste due to certain ingredients or certain processing steps.

We have found an egg replacer that has improved rheological properties. The egg replacer can be easily prepared using readily available materials.

Surprisingly, we have found that our egg replacer is attributable to consumer products that have a longer fresh-keeping time than similar products made from real eggs. For example, omelets or scrambled eggs made from real eggs deteriorate and deteriorate in taste if kept for, for example, several hours before consumption. We have found that for example omelets and scrambled eggs produced using our egg replacer retain good mouthfeel for longer periods of time.

The present invention provides an egg replacer concentrate that comprises 40-85 wt% protein, 10-50 wt% vegetable oil, 0.5-15 wt% carbohydrate and less than 0.5 wt% cholesterol, wherein the protein comprises soy protein, milk protein and optionally egg white protein, wherein at least 50 wt% of the protein is soy protein and wherein the PDI is at least 60%.

The egg replacer concentrate is a composition that can be dispersed in water to provide a liquid egg replacer that can be used to make, for example, scrambled eggs or omelets. The composition can also be used in place of whole egg or egg yolk for other cooking, such as mayonnaise, cake or batter.

Such egg replacers may, but need not, contain egg white protein. In preparing a liquid egg replacer using the above concentrate, fresh or frozen egg white may for example be included. The invention is particularly concerned with replacing whole eggs. Thus, if egg white is already included in the preparation of the liquid egg replacer, the egg replacer concentrate need not contain egg white protein. However, if egg white is not included in the preparation of the liquid egg replacer, then the egg replacer concentrate that is preferably used must include egg white protein. The desired rheological properties are obtained in the liquid egg replacer due to the presence of egg white protein.

Accordingly, the present invention also provides a liquid egg replacer that comprises 16-28 wt% of the egg replacer concentrate described above, 45-82 wt% water and optionally egg white, wherein the water content of the liquid egg replacer is 75-84 wt% and the liquid egg replacer comprises egg white protein. If egg white is already included when preparing the liquid egg replacer, it is preferably used in an amount of 20-40 wt%, more preferably 25-35 wt% of the liquid egg replacer.

Preferably, the egg replacer concentrate includes egg white protein. The liquid egg replacer is preferably prepared using an egg replacer concentrate that includes egg white protein and that does not include egg white protein in addition to egg white protein already present in the egg replacer concentrate. In this case, it is preferred that the amount of water contained in the liquid egg replacer is 70-82% by weight and the amount of egg replacer concentrate is 18-30% by weight.

The content and composition of the protein is the key to the present invention. In order to obtain good rheological properties, the total content of protein should therefore be relatively high, said protein should comprise soy protein and milk protein, at least half of said protein being soy protein. The liquid egg replacer should also include egg white protein. If the egg replacer concentrate does not include egg white protein, preferably at least 60 wt% of the protein, more preferably 80-98 wt% of the protein is soy protein.

The protein material employed to provide the protein for the egg replacer concentrate should contain protein that retains most of its functionality. In practice we have found that this is related to the PDI (protein dispersity index) measured at 20 ℃. The PDI should be at least 60%, preferably it is at least 65%, more preferably at least 70%. PDI can be measured at 20 ℃ according to AOCS Ba 10-65(99) method.

If the PDI of each protein material included in the egg replacer concentrate is known, the PDI of the proteins in the egg replacer composition can generally be estimated by calculating an average value based on the amount of material included in the composition. Preferably, each protein material included in the composition has a PDI of at least 50%, more preferably at least 60%.

The material used to provide the soy protein in the composition is preferably soy concentrate or soy isolate, preferably soy isolate. Such soy protein materials typically have a protein content of about 80% or more. Examples of suitable soy protein materials are Pro Fam 974, Pro Fam 892 and Pro Fam 891, which are obtained from ADM, the netherlands, and Newpro TS, which is obtained from Lucas Meyer bv, the netherlands. The soy protein content of the egg replacer concentrate is preferably 25-55 wt%, more preferably 30-50 wt%.

The milk protein in the concentrate is preferably mostly whey protein, more preferably 70-100% of the milk protein is whey protein. The whey protein in the concentrate may be provided, for example, as a whey protein concentrate or a separator powder. For example, whey protein concentrate powder prepared by removing a portion of the lactose by crystallization and whey protein isolate prepared by ultrafiltration of whey can be used to prepare the egg replacer concentrate. Fractionated whey proteins, such as beta-lactoglobulin-rich fractions, may be used in place of or in combination with more common milk protein materials. Alternatively, or in combination with a whey protein source, for example, skim milk powder may be used. Examples of suitable milk protein materials are Proxime WPC35, a whey protein concentrate, available from Borculodomo, the netherlands; lacprodan 80 and Lacprodan 70 from Danmark Protein, Denmark, supplied by MD Foods, Netherlands; and Ultra Whey 99, a Whey protein isolate from Lithos Food BV, the Netherlands. The milk protein content of the egg replacer concentrate is preferably 0.5-10 wt%, more preferably 0.5-6 wt%, most preferably 1.0-3.0 wt%.

The milk protein material used to provide milk protein in the composition suitably has a protein content of from about 30% by weight to about 90% by weight. Such raw materials usually contain large amounts of lactose, e.g. 5-60% by weight. The use of an appropriate amount of lactose in the concentrate can help prevent the viscosity of the liquid egg replacer from becoming too high. If for some reason it is preferred not to use lactose or to keep its content low, a similar effect of controlling viscosity can be obtained with other sugars, such as glucose, fructose, sucrose or starch hydrolysates with a high dextrose equivalent.

The material used to provide the egg white protein in the concentrate is preferably a protein powder. Typical protein content of protein powders is about 75% by weight or more. An example of a suitable protein powder is dry protein powder from Nive corporation, the Netherlands. The protein flour may contain some carbohydrate. For example, it may contain about 5% glucose. The amount of egg white protein in the egg replacer concentrate is preferably 5-25 wt%, more preferably 5-20 wt%, most preferably 8-17 wt%.

The egg replacer concentrate should have a protein content of 40-85 wt%. Preferably 45 to 70% by weight, more preferably 52 to 63% by weight. The weight ratio of soy protein and milk protein in the egg replacer concentrate and the liquid egg replacer is preferably between 2: 1 and 40: 1, more preferably between 7: 1 and 40: 1, most preferably between 10: 1 and 30: 1. The weight ratio of egg white protein to milk protein in the egg replacer concentrate and the liquid egg replacer is preferably between 2: 1 and 10: 1, more preferably between 4: 1 and 8: 1. These proportions are particularly preferred if the milk protein is predominantly whey protein, more preferably 70-100% by weight of the milk protein, especially preferably 100% by weight of the milk protein is whey protein.

The amount and type of protein greatly affects the rheological properties. The liquid egg replacer should have a relatively low viscosity. If the liquid egg replacer is allowed to stand for several hours before further use, for example in a hotel or hospital for breakfast-making scrambled eggs or omelets, the viscosity cannot increase too much and the replacer does not gel deeply during the period of time that is required before cooking. If the viscosity increases or some gelling occurs upon standing, the structure is destroyed and the material easily recovers pourability, for example by fork-foaming. The low PDI of the protein may cause a high viscosity of the liquid egg replacer and the viscosity may further increase upon standing. Generally, higher protein content results in higher viscosity. Similarly, if milk protein of skimmed milk powder is used, the viscosity is generally higher than if whey protein is used.

However, the liquid egg replacer also cannot be too thin, for example if the eggs are to be prepared for frying during cooking, it cannot behave like a thin batter because this will negatively affect the final product.

The combined use of different types of proteins also affects the development of texture during further processing of the edible product and the texture of the resulting food product. For example for scrambled or omelet eggs, the higher the protein content of the cooked food the higher its firmness, also if casein-containing milk proteins, such as skimmed milk powder, are used instead of whey proteins. Likewise, the organoleptic properties are also influenced by the protein composition. If the egg white protein content is high, the product becomes rubbery. The use of soy protein and in particular the combined use of soy protein and whey protein results in a coagulate that is more crispy, less elastic, i.e. more similar to the texture obtained with whole eggs. Preferably 60-90 wt%, more preferably 70-80 wt% of the protein in the egg replacer concentrate and liquid egg replacer is soy protein.

In a preferred embodiment, the egg replacer concentrate includes 30-50 wt% soy protein, 0.5-10 wt% whey protein and 5-25 wt% egg white protein. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the egg replacer concentrate includes 30-50 wt% soy protein, 1-3 wt% whey protein and 8-17 wt% egg white protein.

The egg replacer concentrate should also include 10-50 wt% vegetable oil. The oil content is preferably from 20 to 40% by weight, particularly preferably from 25 to 35% by weight. Although small amounts of animal fats or oils, e.g. derived from milk proteins, may be tolerated, it is preferred that no fats or oils derived from fish or other animal sources are included. The use of animal fats or oils can cause an increase in the cholesterol content of the product and may cause off-tastes depending on the source of the fat or oil. The vegetable oil used in the egg replacer concentrate is preferably liquid at ambient temperature, although some solids may be tolerated. The solid fat content of the vegetable oil is preferably less than 6% by weight, more preferably 0-3% by weight at 35 ℃. The solid fat content of the liquid oil is preferably less than 30% by weight, more preferably 0-10% by weight, at 5 ℃. Most preferably the solid fat content is 0-2% by weight at 5 ℃. The solid fat content can be determined by the N-value obtained by NMR. Preferred types of vegetable oils are sunflower oil, peanut oil, olive oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, canola oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, and combinations of two or more of these vegetable oils. Said vegetable oils have a low content of saturated fatty acids. Sunflower oil is particularly preferred in the above compositions. Palm oil or fractionated palm olein may be used in place of the above mentioned oils or in combination with one or more of the vegetable oils used in the egg replacer concentrate.

The presence of vegetable oil in the egg replacer concentrate and the liquid egg replacer affects the rheological properties of the liquid egg replacer and the final food product for consumption. In the preparation of an egg replacer concentrate or liquid egg replacer special measures that can lead to a fine dispersion of oil droplets in the liquid egg replacer are preferably avoided. The fine dispersion of oil droplets may increase the viscosity of the liquid egg replacer and negatively affect the mouthfeel of the food product. In the liquid egg replacer the large number of influencing oil droplets preferably has an average diameter of 1-50 micron, more preferably 2-30 micron. The mean diameter of a number of influential oil droplets (D4.3) can be determined using a Multisizer II Coulter particle counter from Coulter Electronics Ltd, Luton, UK. The carbohydrate content of the egg replacer concentrate should be 0.5-15 wt%, preferably 1-10 wt%, more preferably 1-7 wt%. Some of the carbohydrate may be provided by the protein material used to make up the concentrate. The milk protein material may comprise lactose. The soy protein material may contain some oligosaccharides and/or polysaccharides. Some carbohydrates may be intentionally included to optimize the texture of the product, such as gums or starches. Soluble carbohydrates, in particular sugar, can help to prevent the liquid egg replacer from being too thick. However, with a high sugar content, the viscosity becomes too low. If used to fry food products, such as omelets, the reduced amount of sugar helps prevent browning of the food product. High levels of carbohydrates such as starches and gums, as well as other polysaccharides, can make the liquid egg replacer too viscous and more viscous when placed prior to making the final food product. High levels of carbohydrate can also negatively impact the mouthfeel and texture of the final product. The amount of soluble carbohydrates, in particular sugar, in the egg replacer concentrate is preferably 0.5-8 wt%, more preferably 1-5 wt%. The amount of oligosaccharides and polysaccharides in the egg replacer concentrate is preferably 0-6 wt%, more preferably 0.1-1 wt%. In particular the amount of thickening polysaccharides such as starches and gums such as xanthan and guar gum in the egg replacer concentrate is preferably below 1 wt%, more preferably below 0.5 wt%.

The cholesterol content of the final food product made with the egg replacer composition should be significantly reduced compared to the cholesterol content of a corresponding product made with eggs or egg yolk. The cholesterol content of eggs on a dry matter basis is generally about 2% by weight. The cholesterol content of the egg replacer concentrate should be less than 0.5 wt%. Preferably less than 0.1% by weight, more preferably less than 0.05% by weight. A low cholesterol content is achieved by avoiding mixing with materials having a high cholesterol content such as egg yolk powder and milk fat. The concentrate can also help avoid high blood cholesterol levels on the diet by avoiding large amounts of saturated fatty acids and by using soy protein.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the liquid egg replacer contains at least 6.25g soy protein per serving. A suitable selection of a portion of liquid egg replacer is 70g or less. Preferably 60 g. In the case of an egg replacer concentrate, suitably about 15g or 16g may be selected as a serving. It is believed that if each serving contains 6.25g or more of soy protein, the serving is effective in lowering blood cholesterol levels. It is therefore particularly preferred for the egg replacer concentrate to include at least 41 wt% soy protein, especially at least 42 wt% soy protein.

In another preferred embodiment, the advantageous cholesterol profile of the egg replacer concentrate is further enhanced by blending phytosterols or phytostanols or combinations thereof. It is particularly preferred that these sterols and/or stanols are included in the form of esters. Preferably, the plant sterol ester, plant stanol ester or combination thereof is present in the composition in an amount of 10-50% by weight of the amount of vegetable oil. In prog.22，(1983)，161-188；Eur.J.Clin.Nutr. 52(1998), 334-; and eur.j.clin.nutr.54Suitable esters for use in the above compositions and their preparation are described in (2000), 715-725. To determine the vegetable oil content of the egg replacer concentrate, sterol and/or stanol esters, if present, are included in the concentrate in an amount counted as vegetable oil.

The egg replacer concentrate preferably includes a small amount of emulsifier. Particularly preferred emulsifiers are vegetable lecithins, especially soybean lecithin and sunflower lecithin. Commonly available lecithin materials, such as materials containing 30-40% by weight oil and 50-65% by weight phospholipid, may be used. The amount of emulsifier is preferably from 0.05 to 4% by weight. More preferably, the egg replacer concentrate includes lecithin in an amount of 0.05-3 wt%, especially preferably 0.1-1 wt%, especially preferably 0.15-0.3 wt%. Other emulsifiers may be used as such or in combination with lecithin. Preferably, the emulsifier used has an HLB value of at least 8. Examples of emulsifiers that may be used in combination with or instead of lecithin are lysolecithins, such as MaXEmul 322ex Central Soya, Fort Wayne, USA; phosphatidylcholine-rich fractions of lecithin, such as Leci-Choline ex Lucas Meyer bv, the Netherlands; polysorbates, such as tween 60; diacetyl tartrates, such as Admul Datem 1935ex quest International, the Netherlands; and combinations of two or more thereof. A preferred emulsifier for use in combination with lecithin is polysorbate tween 60. Preference is given to amounts of up to 0.5% by weight, in particular from 0.1 to 0.3% by weight. The emulsifier aids in the preparation and stability of the liquid egg replacer. Lecithin is also particularly helpful in achieving the desired consistency of the liquid egg replacer. The liquid egg replacer becomes thicker the less the lecithin content. However, high emulsifier content can negatively affect the taste and mouthfeel of the final food product.

The egg replacer concentrate may contain minor amounts of other ingredients such as colorants, spices, seasonings, salt, food acids, preservatives and the like. The amount of the other ingredients is a total amount of mixing, which is not the same as the above-mentioned emulsifier and carbohydrate, and is preferably not more than 5% by weight, more preferably 0.3 to 3% by weight, particularly preferably 0.5 to 2% by weight. For example, materials such as p-hydroxyphenylglycine, vitamin C and vitamin E may improve the oxidative stability of the concentrate and may be beneficial if included in small amounts.

Such an egg replacer concentrate can be easily prepared. Any powdered material included in the egg replacer concentrate may be dry mixed. If oily materials are used, such as lecithin and sterol esters, they may be dispersed in the vegetable oil. If the vegetable oil with solids is used at normal temperature, it is appropriately heated to melt. The resulting oil was then sprayed onto the surface of the powdered mixture. Mixing was continued until the oil distribution was uniform. The concentrate obtained may be in the form of a powder or a paste, depending on the amount and kind of the raw materials.

The raw material mixture used to form the egg replacer concentrate may advantageously be processed by means of a roller mill. This treatment reduces the particle size of the protein powder and increases the surface binding of the oil. This also facilitates the subsequent preparation of the liquid egg replacer.

In order to obtain good storage stability of the egg replacer concentrate it is preferred to ensure that the water content of the concentrate does not exceed 7% by weight. More preferably, the water content is less than 5% by weight. This is easily achieved by selecting a raw material for the concentrate having a sufficiently low water content, selecting a suitable packaging material, selecting a raw material before production and the storage conditions of the produced concentrate. Most of the water in the concentrate may originate from the protein raw material used. Preferably, the protein material selected for the concentrate has a moisture content of less than 9% by weight, in particular less than 7% by weight. By a suitable choice of raw materials and hygienic working conditions, it can be easily ensured that the concentrate prepared has good microbiological properties and is notably not contaminated by salmonella.

The liquid egg replacer can be easily prepared by mixing the egg replacer concentrate, water and optionally egg white in the above-mentioned ratios, for example using a food processor or hand mixer, which is already present in the kitchen, or by all other means at the place of preparation. The liquid egg replacer is obtained by dispersing the concentrate and optionally egg white powder in water in an industrial apparatus, for example in a stirred tank or a colloid mill. The obtained liquid egg replacer can be used to replace whole egg to make final food according to a certain recipe. For example, the liquid egg replacer can be used alone or in combination with other seasonings to form a fried egg replacer. Milk and seasonings are added when preparing fried eggs or omelets. For example omelets, may comprise fried mushrooms or ham flakes or cheese. The liquid egg replacer can be used in place of eggs, for example to make dressings like chicken mayonnaise. It can also be used to make baked goods such as cake, muffin, etc. The optimum amount of water used for the egg replacer concentrate and optional egg whites will depend to some extent on the exact composition of the egg replacer concentrate as described above. The optimum amount of water can be easily determined by first using a relatively small amount of water. If the liquid egg replacer is still thicker than desired, a little more water is added for mixing.

The viscosity of the liquid egg replacer is at 20 deg.C and 0.15s^-1Is preferably 300-20000mPas, more preferably 400-. The viscosity of the liquid egg replacer preferably remains within these limits for at least 1 hour, more preferably at least 2 hours after preparation of the liquid egg replacer from the egg replacer composition if kept at a temperature of 20 ℃. In order to obtain a reproducible viscosity measurement, the incorporation of air in the liquid egg replacer should be avoided. Thus, in this case, the egg replacer concentrate, water and optionally egg white powder can suitably be prepared into a liquid egg replacer in 5 minutes with a vacuum mixer, such as a Stephan mixer, using its vacuum function at 900 rpm. The viscosity can suitably be measured with a Brookfield viscometer (model DV-II +) using a T-D spindle at 10 rpm.

The pH of the liquid egg replacer is preferably 6.0-7.5, more preferably 6.2-7.0, most preferably 6.4-6.8. At high pH values, the viscosity of the liquid egg replacer becomes too high. A slightly lower pH is also advantageous because it increases the temperature at which the protein coagulates, for example, in the preparation of scrambled eggs, which will approach the coagulation temperature of the egg. However, too low a pH may cause denaturation of the protein, which is preferably to be avoided. Depending on the composition of the egg replacer concentrate, the pH of the liquid egg replacer prepared therefrom may vary if it is desired to include a small amount of an acidic or alkaline component in the egg replacer concentrate. In order to lower the pH, an edible acid such as lactic acid, phosphoric acid, citric acid, ascorbic acid or fumaric acid may be used, or two or more of these acids may be used in combination. The pH can also be raised using, for example, trisodium phosphate, disodium orthophosphate, sodium carbonate or bicarbonate and or another edible alkaline agent. However, it is preferred that the pH is below 7 and the use of such alkaline materials is preferably avoided.

All parts, percentages and ratios referred to in this specification are by weight unless otherwise indicated. Except in the operating and comparative examples, or where otherwise explicitly indicated, all numbers in this description indicating amounts of material ought to be understood as modified by the word "about".

The term "comprising" means not being limited to any of the elements described below but also including non-specified elements of major or minor functional importance. In other words, it is intended that the listed steps, ingredients or options are not necessarily exhaustive. Whenever a word "comprising" or "having" is used herein, these terms are intended to have the same meaning as "comprising" as defined above.

Example 1

An egg replacer composition was prepared with the ingredients listed in table 1.

TABLE 1

Phase (C)	Composition (I)	Quantity (pbw)
			Oil phase	Colorant of sunflower seed oil polysorbate Tween 60 lecithin (Bolec ZT) vitamin E mixture (70% vitamin E)	7.560.040.040.002p.m.
Aqueous phase	Soy protein isolate (Pro Fam 974) protein powder whey protein concentrate xanthan gum, ascorbic acid, p-hydroxyphenyl glycinate flavor	9.153.631.380.0260.0050.0080.0050.15p.m.

Tween 60 was obtained from Quest International, the Netherlands. Bolec ZT is a clear paste of soybean lecithin with a phospatide content of 63.5% by weight, available from Unimills, the Netherlands. Pro Fam 974 is a soy protein isolate (protein content 90 wt%, PDI 75% at 20 ℃) obtained from ADM, Netherlands. The protein flour used was dry protein flour, non-foaming (protein content 81% by weight, PDI 100%), obtained from NiVe, the Netherlands. The whey protein concentrate was Proxime WPC35 (protein content 35% by weight, PDI 100%) from Borculodomo, the netherlands.

The ingredients of each phase were mixed and then the two mixtures were mixed again and mixed for 5 minutes in a Hobart mixer. The obtained egg replacer concentrate is a dry paste. The water content of the obtained egg replacer concentrate was 5 wt%. The carbohydrate content was 6% by weight and the protein content was 53% by weight. The cholesterol content is less than 0.001 wt%. The PDI was about 82%.

22pbw of egg replacer concentrate and 78pbw of water were mixed in a Stephan mixer at 900 rpm. At 0.15s^-1And a temperature of 20 c, the viscosity of the resulting liquid egg replacer is about 600 mPas. The viscosity thereof hardly increased after 24 hours of storage. Omelets can be prepared in the usual manner from liquid egg replacers. Approximately 60g of liquid egg replacer is required to prepare omelets, which are poured into a pre-heated pan containing approximately 3ml of oil. Thus, a good omelet can be obtained.

Example 2

Example 1 was repeated except that 11.333pbw of soy protein isolate, 1.557pbw of whey protein concentrate and 7.2pbw of sunflower seed oil were used to prepare the egg replacer concentrate. The obtained liquid egg replacer contains 6.25g soy protein per 60g serving. At 0.15s^-1And a viscosity of about 2800mPas at 20 ℃. After 24 hours its viscosity increased to about 4000 mPas. The viscosity is considered to be slightly higher than the optimum viscosity. The omelet produced in example 2 was also not as good as in example 1, but was still highly desirable.

Example 3 and example 4

Example 1 and example 2 were repeated except that no polysorbate was used and the oil amounts were adjusted to 7.6pbw and 7.24pbw, respectively. We will obtain good results similar to examples 1 and 2. Samples of omelets were kept overnight together with reference samples of omelets prepared from real eggs. The next day, the omelet sample made from real eggs became very hard and difficult to swallow. The texture and mouthfeel of the omelet samples produced by examples 3 and 4 were much better.

Comparative examples A and B

Example 1 was repeated except that in example A, 5.01pbw whey protein concentrate was used without the addition of egg white powder. Example B, 5.01pbw of egg white powder was used without the addition of whey protein concentrate. The viscosity of each liquid egg replacer was acceptable, although the composition of example B showed a viscosity of more than twice that during 24 hours storage. The composition of example a remained in a liquid state during the attempted preparation of omelets. The composition of example B had coagulated during cooking, but its texture was very crumbly, so it was best to make a similar scrambled egg rather than omelet. The obtained food has good elasticity. No browning occurred during the attempt to make omelets.

Comparative example C

4pbw of the egg replacer concentrate of example 1 was mixed with 1pbw of maltodextrin (PaselliMD20, available from Avebe, the Netherlands) in a Hobart mixer. The resulting egg replacer concentrate had a carbohydrate content of 25 wt%. The liquid egg replacer was prepared as described above by mixing 22pbw of the egg replacer concentrate with 78pbw of water in a Stephan mixer. At 0.15s^-1And at 20 c the viscosity of the obtained liquid egg replacer is relatively low, 200 mPas. After 24 hours of storage the viscosity of the liquid egg replacer increases by a factor of 5, approximately 1000 mPas. When we tried to make omelets, this composition did not gel properly. It does not have a structure like an egg but has a caramel-like appearance.

Example 5

Example 1 was repeated except that the amounts of table 2 were used in preparing the egg replacer concentrate.

TABLE 2

Phase (C)	Composition (I)	Quantity (pbw)
			Oil phase	Sunflower seed oil polysorbate Tween 60 lecithin (Bo1ec ZT) colorant (30% carotene oil) vitamin E mixture (70% vitamin E)	10.4490.0540.0540.00620.003
Aqueous phase	Soy protein isolate (Pro Fam 974) protein powder whey protein concentrate xanthan gum, ascorbic acid, p-hydroxyphenyl glycinate flavor	10.63.61.80.030.0060.0090.0060.15p.m.

To prepare a liquid egg replacer, 1pbw of the egg replacer concentrate was mixed with 3pbw of water. The viscosity of the obtained liquid egg replacer was a bit higher but other good results were obtained.

Example 6

Example 5 was repeated except that skim milk powder (protein content 36% by weight, PDI 95%) was used instead of whey protein concentrate. The resulting egg replacer concentrate has a carbohydrate content of about 7 wt%. The viscosity of the resulting liquid egg replacer was slightly higher than that of the product of example 3, but in general this product was acceptable.

Examples 7 to 9 and comparative example D

An oil phase composition prepared from the following raw materials:

sunflower seed oil 98.98pbw

Lecithin (Bolec ZT) 0.57pbw

Colorant (3% carotene) 0.42pbw

Vitamin E mixture 0.03pbw

A powder phase composition was prepared from the following raw materials:

soy protein isolate (Pro Fam 974) 67.8pbw

21.7pbw of albumen powder

Whey protein concentrate 9.3pbw

Xanthan gum 0.16pbw

Citric acid 0.03pbw

Ascorbic acid 0.05pbw

P-hydroxyphenylglycine 0.03pbw

Salt 0.90pbw

The starting materials used were the same as those described in example 1. Egg replacer concentrates were prepared from the oil phase composition and the powder phase composition described in example 1, using the relative amounts shown in table 3. The resulting egg replacer concentrate was used to prepare liquid egg replacers as described in example 1, using the relative amounts of water shown in table 3.

Table 3 also shows the oil content of this egg replacer concentrate. The protein content and composition of the 4 liquid egg replacers obtained was constant.

TABLE 3

	Example 7	Example 8	Example 9	Comparative example D
					Oil phase composition powder phase composition	6pbw14pbw	4pbw14pbw	2pbw14pbw	1pbw14pbw
Water (W)	80pbw	82pbw	84pbw	85pbw
					Oil content in egg replacer concentrate	30% by weight	22.3% by weight	12.6% by weight	6.7% by weight

Making omelet with the liquid egg replacer. The omelet of example 9, and in particular the omelet of comparative example D stuck to the pan, had a texture and mouthfeel that were not good. The omelet of example D was unacceptable, whereas the omelet of example 9 was only marginally acceptable. The omelets of examples 7 and 8 were much better, the omelet of example 7 being the better one.

Comparative example E

An egg replacer concentrate is prepared from:

sunflower seed oil 2.13pbw

Lecithin 0.03pbw

0.02pbw of a colorant

Soybean flour 15.41pbw

2.85pbw of albumen powder

Whey protein concentrate 1.22pbw

Xanthan gum 0.02pbw

Ascorbic acid 0.01pbw

0.12pbw of salt

0.18pbw of egg seasoning

The soy flour used was defatted soy flour 200/70-Cargill, ex Cargill, Minneapolis, USA. It contained 9% moisture on a dry basis, 52% protein by weight, 46% carbohydrate by weight (including 17% fiber by weight, on a dry basis of soy flour), 1% fat by weight and 1% minerals by weight. Otherwise the raw materials and methods used were the same as in example 1. The resulting egg replacer concentrate has a carbohydrate content of more than 20 wt%.

Attempts have been made to prepare omelets with this composition, but the results have been unacceptable. This composition sticks well to the pan, is like a dough/bread in texture and tastes very bad.

Claims (15)

1. An egg replacer concentrate that comprises 40-85 wt% protein, 10-50 wt% vegetable oil, 0.5-15 wt% carbohydrate and less than 0.5 wt% cholesterol, wherein the protein comprises soy protein, milk protein and optionally egg white protein, at least 50 wt% of the protein being soy protein and wherein the PDI is at least 60%.

2. The concentrate of claim 1, wherein the weight ratio of soy protein to milk protein is between 2: 1 and 40: 1.

3. The concentrate of claim 2, wherein the weight ratio of soy protein to milk protein is between 7: 1 and 40: 1.

4. A concentrate according to any of claims 1-3, wherein the weight ratio of egg white protein and milk protein is between 2: 1 and 10: 1.

5. The concentrate of any of claims 1-3, wherein the milk protein is whey protein.

6. The concentrate of any of claims 1-3 wherein 60-90% by weight of the protein in the concentrate is soy protein.

7. The concentrate of any of claims 1-3 comprising 30-50% by weight soy protein, 0.5-10% by weight whey protein and 5-25% by weight egg white protein.

8. A concentrate according to claim 7 which comprises 1 to 3% by weight whey protein and 8 to 17% by weight egg white protein.

9. The concentrate of any of claims 1-3 comprising at least 41% by weight soy protein.

10. A concentrate according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which comprises from 0.05 to 4% by weight of emulsifier.

11. A concentrate according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the vegetable oil content is from 20 to 40% by weight.

12. A concentrate according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the carbohydrate content is from 1 to 10% by weight.

13. A liquid egg replacer that comprises 16-28 wt% of the egg replacer concentrate of any one of claims 1-12, 45-82 wt% water and optionally egg white, wherein the water content of the liquid egg replacer is 75-84 wt% and the liquid egg replacer comprises egg white protein.

14. A liquid egg replacer that comprises 70-82 wt% water and 18-30 wt% egg replacer concentrate according to any one of claims 1-12 that is free of egg white and that comprises egg white protein.

15. An egg replacer according to claim 13 or claim 14 which has a viscosity of 0.15s^-1And 300-.