Whole eggs, or simply eggs, are composed of two distinct parts — the albumen, or white, and the yolk, or yellow — with each part providing different and important nutrients and functionalities. From the nutritional side, whole eggs are considered nutrient dense. A 50-gram egg (average weight of a large egg) contains 6.25 grams of protein, which is high-quality, complete protein, 5 grams of fat, the majority of which is unsaturated, and is loaded with essential vitamins and minerals. Thus, using eggs in a prepared food formulation helps build an attractive Nutrition Facts label. And of course, the natural and wholesome reputation of eggs is well received by consumers when eggs appear on ingredient statements. Functionally, eggs provide prepared foods with exceptional richness, in terms of flavor, color and texture. They can be used to assist in emulsifying, stabilizing, increasing volume, and improving machineability. Food formulators get all this from just one simple, all-natural ingredient — the egg.

Whole liquid eggs not only simplify the production of foods made with eggs, they provide consistency in measurement and ensure safety and quality. Prepared foods production facilities never have to deal with shelling eggs. There is no waste from breakage, which reduces production costs. The whole liquid egg product is ready to use. Plus, the person measuring ingredients does so by either volume (e.g., one gallon) or weight (50 pounds), depending on application and batch size. Often times egg product suppliers will sell pre-measured containers of whole liquid egg products for even easier incorporation into formulations. There’s less labor and less room for error.

Lastly, whole liquid eggs are pasteurized to destroy Salmonella and other bacteria, which ensures safety. Typically, shell eggs, once cleaned and broken, are separated into whites and yolks. The whites and yolks are separately pasteurized. If whole liquid egg product is being made, pasteurized egg whites and egg yolks from the same production batch are blended together in their entirety, in natural proportions. Egg products produced by combining whites and yolks from different production batches cannot be labeled as whole eggs. These products must be identified with an ingredient statement showing the content of the product as egg whites and egg yolks.

Traditional whole liquid egg products are perishable and should be kept refrigerated at 40° to 45°F. Typical shelf life is about a week. A specialty egg product known as Room Temperature Stable (RTS) Liquid Eggs is pasteurized whole eggs that are processed with sugar and work well with automated systems. They can replace liquid or frozen eggs on a pound-for-pound basis, although some formula adjustments need to be made to compensate for the sugar and the lower water content.

To locate a supplier of Refrigerated Liquid/Frozen Whole Egg, visit http://www.aeb.org/food-manufacturers/buyers-guide

 

With dried whole eggs, most of the moisture is removed, providing product developers with a highly concentrated egg product. Dried whole egg is typically spray dried. Sucrose, corn syrup or sodium silicoaluminate are sometimes added as anti-caking agents to assure a free-flowing product. Without these ingredients, the dried whole egg product could harden and solidify, making it difficult to incorporate into food systems. These ingredients also help preserve the whipping properties of dried whole egg. Dried whole eggs have the advantage of long shelflife and stability and are easily mixed with other ingredients.

Dried whole egg products are virtually indistinguishable from fresh eggs, as well as refrigerated and frozen egg products, in terms of nutritional value, flavor, and most functional properties. These qualities are well retained during proper storage.

Dried whole egg solids should be kept cool, less than 50⁰F (10⁰C) to maintain quality. Once containers of egg solids have been opened, they should be resealed tightly to prevent contamination and absorption of moisture. If dried eggs are combined with dry ingredients and held for storage, they should be sealed tightly in a closed container and stored in the refrigerator at 32 to 50⁰F (0⁰ to 10⁰C).

Plain unstabilized whole egg solids have a shelflife of about one month at room temperature and about a year at refrigerated temperatures. If stabilized, the shelflife increases to one year at room temperatures.

To locate a supplier of Dried Egg Yolk, visit http://www.aeb.org/food-manufacturers/buyers-guide