Elisa Maloberti

Sauces, dressings, and condiments, such as mayonnaise, benefit in obvious ways from the emulsifying properties of the egg yolk. While it is easy to observe the importance of a stable emulsion in mayonnaise or a dressing where one can witness the battle between immiscible liquids (typically water and fat) as they strive to separate from each other, emulsifiers play an important although less obvious role in other formulations. 

Labor-saving, convenient, and on-trend—demand for value-added egg products is growing as formulators and restaurant chains find more than a handful of reasons to fit the various forms of prepared eggs into the manufacturing or food preparation cycle.

According to an online survey conducted by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) in April of this year, the events of 2020 have had a dramatic impact on our eating habits. In this survey, 85% of respondents have made changes in their dietary habits, and of those, 32% say they are snacking more and thinking about food more than usual (27%). Stress eating related to snacking appears more prevalent in families. When these figures are broken into parents vs. non-parents, 41% of parents are snacking more as a result of coronavirus compared to 29% of non-parents. 

While whole eggs, yolks and egg whites all supply practical benefits to baked goods, it is egg whites that achieve a lofty, stable foam for aeration or a leavening effect. In fact, egg whites, when whipped, can produce foam six to eight times greater in volume than the original liquid.

Each generation dictates the characteristics that help define their particular group. In fact, one research organization has bestowed the nickname “True Gen” onto Gen Z, due to their passion for authenticity.

Technomic data shows that 24.9% of foodservice operators menu plant-based protein with predictions of 27.7% in two years’ time, by Q3 2021. Datassential research shows 22% of consumers “embrace” a flexitarian diet, consuming meat some of the time, but mixing it up with more plant-based options. Even more, a glance at one menu item, vegetarian burgers, shows demand increasing 29% between 2014 and 2018 (NPD Group).