Few food ingredients are as “pure & simple” as egg products, which “are recognized by product developers as bringing more to product formulations with less,” according to Elisa Maloberti, director of egg product marketing, American Egg Board, Park Ridge, IL. “In fact, with 20-plus functions, some might say egg products are anything but simple. But the truth is, egg products are uniquely pure and simple.”

Direct from Mother Nature, with a touch of modern technology that cracks, separates and packages convenient forms of whole eggs, whites and yolks, egg products can replace a number of ingredients because of their functional properties. Their inclusion on ingredient statements is simple: egg, egg white, egg yolk. Consumers know that eggs are real food.

Egg products come in frozen, refrigerated liquid and dried forms. They can be the whole egg, or just the whites or yolks. Sometimes additional ingredients are added for functional purposes, this provides the manufacturer with the exact specifications they need for producing their products.

View the complete supplement for more information on the 20-plus functions of egg products.

To create super foods you need super ingredients. The egg can help.  Nature’s almost perfect source of protein, the egg, sets the standard against which all other proteins are measured. Eggs contain very available, easily digestible protein compared to many other types. Research shows that high-quality protein, such as the protein found in eggs, helps build muscle strength and helps people feel full for a longer period of time after eating.

Energy boosting foods are in demand. An egg, nature’s answer to the quest for a near-perfect protein, is also your answer to the quest for a highly available, highly functional protein ingredient. Just look at the facts:

• Eggs contain the most easily digestible, most readily available protein compared to any other type.

• Eggs are used as the standard for measuring the protein quality of other ingredients.

• Processed eggs contribute the same high-quality protein as fresh.

• High-quality protein ingredients such as eggs, will control hunger over a longer period of time than either carbohydrates or fats.

• Research demonstrates the need for nearly 30 grams of high-quality protein at each meal to protect muscle health.

For more on the story of egg proteins, independent scientific studies and highlights of the egg’s amazing functional properties download egg-cellent Foods egg-cellent Protein.

Mintel recently released their Bakery Trend report and the bakery industry continues to grow.   Following are a few key points from the report:

We believe the functional and taste attributes of egg products have greatly assisted this growth.

For more great bakery ideas, visit  Egg Product Formulations.  Need more information, give us a call at 847.296.7043.

American Egg Board is scheduled to participate at the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Wellness 12 conference. Now it’s in fifth year, Wellness 12 is recognized as a must conference for food industry professionals interested in learning more about the growth of better-for-you food products.

The conference, to be held March 28-29, 2012, at the InterContinental Chicago O’Hare hotel in Rosemont, IL, will bring together expert presenters, practical content, and new market insights focused within individual presentations. The conference is structured around three concurrent tracks: Consumer Lifestyles & Demographics, Weight Management, and Health Issues. In addition, there will be four general sessions: “Top 10 Functional Foods Trends 2012,” “International Comparison of Food-based Dietary Guidelines: The Nutritional Message Across Countries and Cultures,” “Boomers and Millennials: A Consumer Panel Across the Age Spectrum,” and “What Consumers Around the World Will Want From Food Companies in 2020.”

American Egg Board will discuss and display materials relevant to the egg as a functional and nutritious ingredient. As a natural source of many vitamins and minerals, eggs have something for everyone and can be a valuable asset in the development of food products to meet consumer needs.  Egg products are used in low sodium foods, and gluten-free sauces and desserts.

In whichever direction consumers focus their interest, such as convenience, energy-providing or wellness foods, formulators can meet their demands by delivering new products based on egg ingredients.

The functional properties of egg ingredients are well documented and applauded in an industry where the combination of function, nutrition and natural is a rarity. Egg ingredients score a triple play on these three attributes, but hit it out of the park when you add to this mixture the fact that egg ingredients are sourced domestically and priced competitively.

The egg is one of the few natural sources of vitamin D in addition to host of other vitamins and minerals. The yolk provides the majority of the vitamins and minerals found in an egg, including most of the choline and vitamin B12, and approximately 40 percent of the protein. One large egg, or its equivalent within the further processed egg ingredient category, provides 6 grams of highly digestible protein.

View the complete supplement for more information on the better-for you-benefits of egg products.

Occasionally we receive phone calls from  food formulators asking about the safety of egg products.   In 1970, Congress passed the Egg Products Inspection Act Actually, which requires that all egg products distributed for consumption be pasteurized to destroy Salmonella.   In the past 40 years there have been no recorded outbreaks of salmonellosis linked to pasteurized egg.

This safety record is especially impressive considering the volume of eggs consumed in this country. Of the more than 76 billion eggs eaten annually, slightly more than 30% are in the form of egg products, further processed into either a liquid, frozen or dried form.

Creating appealing food products with great taste is a challenge enough. Exceed your expectations and take the worry about safety out of your formulation concerns with real egg products. For more information about the wide variety of pasteurized, further processed egg products, contact American Egg Board, 1-800-488-6143 or 847-296-7043, or visit www.aeb.org.

Click to read our Egg Safety press release.

In 2012, American Egg Board is continuing their association with the Prepared Foods Network as sole sponsor for the Excellence in Innovation Awards.  The Excellence in Innovation Awards honor the best new product introductions in the past year. The awards are presented in two categories: Retail and Foodservice. Winners will receive their awards during the Excellence in Innovation Awards Ceremony at the 30th Prepared Foods New Products Conference.

The 2012 awards ceremony will be Monday, September 10th at the Ritz – Carlton in Palm Beach, FL.

Click to find out about contest details and to submit your company’s nomination.  The deadline for submitting new product nominations is Friday, June 15th.

For information about travel and registrations, please click.

One of the missions of the American Egg Board is to make news about the functionality of egg products readily accessible to food formulators.  An eggcellent vehicle to communicate that information is the food ingredient trade press.   Respected publications such as Food Product Design, Prepared Foods, Food Technology and Food Business News frequently publish articles that discuss functionalities, nutrition and other key attributes in the creation of new products.

Egg products are increasingly used in many of these new products.  The role of the egg aids food formulators in aeration, emulsification, texture, coagulation and over fifteen additional functions while providing nutritional attributes.  All of this helps define egg products as a key ingredient in the formulation of baking, sauces, pasta and other prepared foods.

Egg products are truly an eggceptional ingredient in any food formulators ingredient matrix.

To learn more visit Egg Products in the News.  Need more information, give us a call at 847.296.7043.

The American Egg Board produces and funds research specifically related to the functional and nutritional aspects of egg products. Researchers from around the world contribute their knowledge and learning to provide food formulators with the most up-to-date information possible.

Our goal is to make our research easy to use. As you view the webpage, you can simply hover over the title of each research study for a quick look at what the study covers. Additionally, you can use our search feature to find what you’re looking for, either functionality or health and nutrition research. To further assist you, we have provided links to more research.

The research studies draw on the expertise of AEB, the Egg Nutrition Center, noted industry journals such as the Journal of Food Science and Food Chemistry, as well as universities which specialize in egg product research such as Auburn University.

Can’t find what you need?  Give us a call at 847.296.7043, we’ll be happy to help.

An Expert’s POV on Gluten-Free and Soy Allergens

At the American Egg Board/Egg Nutrition Center, we are often asked if eggs should be considered gluten-free. With the incidence of gluten allergies on the rise, this is an important question that can have great health implications for many Americans.

Gluten-Free

According to Dr. Steven Taylor from The Food Allergy Research and Resource Program (FARRP) at the University of Nebraska, eggs should be considered gluten-free. Dr. Taylor points out that many gluten-free products contain eggs and they do not test positive for gluten. Although it is likely that egg-laying chickens eat wheat grain containing gluten it is also likely that the birds digest the gluten and break it down to it’s constituent amino acids, which in turn are used to build chicken and egg proteins. Little if any of the gluten appears to make it to the egg in an intact form.

Soy Allergens

This appears to be the case regarding soy allergenicity and eggs as well. Although one recent study indicated that small amounts of isoflavones from the soy in chicken feed apparently is transferred to the egg, protein fractions from soy are broken down during the digestive process and are not likely transferred to the egg or meat of the chicken. So folks with soy allergies can enjoy eggs without worrying about a potential allergic reaction.

Click to read the September 2011 editorial from Food Product Design titled   “Going Gluten-Free”

To read more from American Egg Board about Gluten-Free, click here.