Plant-based eggs and egg products: a review of their composition, formation and properties

Consumers are increasingly interested in incorporating plant-based analogs of animal-based foods into their diets for ethical, environmental, health, and sustainability reasons. Egg analogs can be created from plant-derived proteins, lipids, phospholipids, pigments, and other ingredients. The lipoproteins in egg yolk can be simulated using plant protein- or phospholipid-coated oil droplets, whereas the soluble proteins in egg white and yolk can be simulated using a variety of globular plant proteins. These globular proteins form irreversible heat-set gels, which mimic those formed by real eggs. Ideally, the thermal denaturation temperature of the plant proteins should match those of the egg proteins so that the cookability of the final products is similar. Other plant-derived ingredients can also be used to carry out the functions normally performed by eggs in other products, such as emulsifiers in dressings and sauces, foaming agents in desserts and bakery products, and gelling agents in desserts and flans. This article reviews the composition, structure, and properties of real eggs, and then discusses the ingredients and processes that can be used to design and produce plant-based egg analogs. The application of these plant-derived ingredients as egg substitutes in food products, such as mayonnaise, dressings, and bakery products, is then discussed.