Palsgaard and Aarhus University are inviting food manufacturers to join a new €5 million project focused on developing plant-based replacements for egg ingredients.

Palsgaard, a specialist in emulsifiers and stabilisers, is working with the Danish university alongside fellow F&B ingredients company Nexus to devise plant-based solutions that can replace 10% of the egg ingredients used globally.

The project, titled ‘PIER’ (Plant-based Food Ingredients To Be Egg Replacers) aims to find alternatives to eggs in products such as baked goods, dressings, desserts and ready meals.

With a goal of helping to reduce carbon footprint and cutting recipe costs for manufacturers, the project is targeting companies that are currently using significant volumes of egg and egg powders in their products and have strategic ambitions to reduce their reliance on fresh and dried egg ingredients.

By taking part, companies will be able to co-create with the other project members and secure priority access to the new ingredients for their own products.

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.

Claus Hviid Christensen, chief executive officer of Nexus, 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.”

The project will also explore opportunities for partial egg replacement. PIER has a total budget of DKK 37 million (approximately €5 million) and has received a grant of DKK 23 million (approximately €3 million) from Innovation Fund Denmark.

#Denmark #Europe #Palsgaard #Nexus