New, Cost-effective Egg Replacer Solution Launched

German company WACKER BIOSOLUTIONS has recently launched a vegetarian-grade, cholesterol-free and non-allergenic alternative to reduce and replace egg or egg powder in a variety of baked goods. 

By Ioana Oancea

WorldBakers asked Verena Klaus, business development food & flavor, and Dr. Ulrike Fischer-Nägele, Head of R&D Nutrition, WACKER BIOSOLUTIONS, about the new product, named CAVAMAX W6, and the process of replacing fresh eggs with such industrial solutions.

Even though cost reducing may be difficult to predict in this case, because it relies on egg prices, using replacers 

may reduce HACCP efforts when excluding eggs from the production. This helps save even more money, the representatives of WACKER say.

“Apart from that, it largely depends on the specific application and the formulation of the final product. For example, for creating an egg-free brioche, we suggest the following replacement formulation: 20% egg can be substituted by 1% CAVAMAX^®W6 and 15% water, plus 3% protein (dairy or vegetable). So depending on the bakery product you want to make, there are also savings possible as your formulation may change – and become easier,” WACKERofficial says.

When it comes to alpha-dextrin in general, WACKER has been working with these ring-shaped molecules for many years, applying them in various industries, as the specialists explained.

However, the specific application of using CAVAMAX^® W6 alpha-dextrin as a vegetarian-grade emulsifier-substitute for egg-free baked goods is rather new, being introduced it to the food market last year. Altogether, development time for this application was about two years.

The company says that there are further aspects and functionalities to follow up on – for instance, they are currently working on stabilizing the viscosity of batter not only in egg-free bakery, but also in fine bakery products.

Using the new alpha-dextrin in bakery applications can simply be done by adding it to the dry ingredients of the dough, or any other food product.

Additionally, in combination with proteins, it may increase the volume of the batter when whipping and thus improves the structure of fine bakery products.

Apart from the easy handling and processing due to the powder form, the new egg replacer is an emulsifying dietary fiber that is 100% vegetarian-grade and even vegan. “WACKER manufactures the ring-shaped sugar molecules entirely from renewable raw materials such as corn or potato starch. As the product is purely plant-based, it is cholesterol-free and also free of all main allergens. Additionally, it is low in calories, contains no fat and does not have an E number,” the experts added.

For manufacturers, a big benefit is the easy handling and processing, as it comes as a water-soluble, white, free-flowing powder which can simply be added to the formulation. This also minimizes hygienic risks compared to handling eggs, and it reduces costs, by saving the intensive microbiological control of raw material liquid egg. Other benefits are the stable supply chain WACKER offers, and the stable price calculation, which make long-term budgeting easier.

It is available in the EU, USA, Mexico, Chile, Australia and most countries in Asia (India, China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Philippines).

It is suited for many bakery products, from pound cakes and layer cakes, muffins, waffles and pancakes to yeast leavened fine bakery wares such as brioches or cinnamon rolls, or even sponges and Swiss rolls.