Baking & Snack - May 2019 - 73

tion is receiving the maximum benefits
from the egg's functionality," he added.
"Egg whites, for example, are available
as standard, high whip - sometimes
called angel whites - and high-gel, and
each contributes a different functionality to various applications."
Standard egg whites would be appropriate for frittata bites. High whip,
on the other hand, would be best for
meringue. In complex systems such as
nutrition bars, high-gel egg whites not
only assist with adhesion and texture,
but they also contribute protein.
Egg products are pasteurized to ensure food safety. They're easy-to-use
and provide batch-to-batch consistency.
"Egg functionality is unique and difficult, if not impossible, to fully replicate, especially with a single ingredient,"
Mr. Moore said.
Research supported by the American
Egg Board and conducted by CuliNex
explored typical baked goods made
with egg products and compared them
to similar products made using egg replacers. Results showed that in many
applications, there's a discernable difference with the real-egg product superior
in many features.
"Let's consider sugar cookies, although many other cookie formulations
that rely on eggs for binding, flavor,
leavening and texture would have similar results," Mr. Moore said. "The areas
of sugar cookie quality most negatively
affected when eggs are removed are aroma, color, flavor and texture. Without
eggs creating proper spread and rise,
the cookie batter is too thin and spreads
too much in the heat of the oven. Also,
aroma is reduced as well as flavor intensity, indicating that eggs contribute
to the characteristic sweet baked good
aroma and flavor of sugar cookies."
Eggs are an integral ingredient in
most cakes. They provide leavening,
binding, aeration and contribute to texture, flavor, color and aroma.
"Eggs contribute to the color, rise and
uniformly open cell structure, which
influences eating quality, mouthfeel
and texture," Mr. Moore said. "They

also provide a sweet, eggy baked aroma
and flavor. The tender crumb and eating
quality of the cake is also due to eggs.
"When eggs are absent, the cake is
fragile," he continued. "The cake breaks
readily upon handling and forms a
gummy mass in the mouth."
It's just not sponge cake without eggs.
The same is true of angel food cake, a
cake designed on its creative use of egg
whites to achieve a highly aerated structure that is tender in the mouth and has
a fluffy texture with neutral sweet baked
flavor. Without egg whites, that aeration
doesn't happen.
"The batter is four-times denser
and much lower in viscosity, indicating that without egg whites there is
no batter aeration," Mr. Moore said.
"This results in a squat, firm, chewy,
pasty-tasting, gel-like substance rather
than the expected angel food texture
and mouthfeel."
Meringues, macaroons and macarons
also rely on aeration from egg whites.
As their name suggests, the whites also
allow for a clear, clean canvas to add
flavor and color. And while historically
designed to be delicate sweet treats,
these classics have been turned into savory snacks by innovative bakers.
"We developed superfood pesto
puffs, which are crisp, savory meringues
packed with spinach, kale, basil, almonds, parmesan cheese, and garlic,"
Mr. Moore said. "They are low in calories, packed with vitamins and minerals
and a source of protein."
Outer Aisle, Santa Barbara, CA, relies
on whole eggs to make gluten-free, lowcarb, bread alternatives. In combination
with cauliflower, parmesan cheese and
nutritional yeast, the company produces pizza crusts and sandwich thins
in a range of flavors. Crepini, New York,
makes grain-less wraps and thins based
on eggs and cauliflower.
Dairy- and egg-based ingredients offer a wealth of functionality and flavor
in the baked goods that use them. These
recognizable ingredients in an industrial
format provide bakers with a convenient
road to improved product quality.

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Baking & Snack - May 2019

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