Tate & Lyle investing for egg replacement solutions
European ingredients giant, Tate & Lyle, is attempting another investment for its egg replacement solutions for the bakery sector; being provoked by increasing customer demand, price hikes and supply constraints. Due to the ban upon battery cages and increasing prices, egg shortages are plaguing bakery manufacturers, urging them to find alternatives for their failing businesses. Demands for egg replacers are widespread and ingredients companies such as Arla and Kerry Ingredients are cashing in on increased purchases of egg replacement solutions. Alexander Franzen, the bakery business development manager at Tate & Lyle Food Systems, said they have had an plenty of egg replacement requests over the previous months. He said: “We haven’t had this level of demand for egg replacement systems before. We’ve always had the systems for mayonnaises and sauces – the question on egg reduction and elimination is not a new one”. He also added that however, “there is now a renewed focus on tailoring these to the bakery sector amid increased demands…we want to get better in the bakery sector”. The company’s Hamulsion stabiliser systems enable up to 100% egg replacement in end products. Since January 2012, the company has invested in new staff, new technology and machinery in order to fulfil increasing demands from the bakery sector. Even though not many products are in need of egg content, Franzen said: “We are focused on application areas like sponge cakes, loaf cakes and muffins as these are all areas where fresh eggs are typically used a lot. The demand is coming from these segments”. After the legislative changes and the prices shaping the European egg market, most demands are coming from the European Union especially the UK and Western Europe. Franzen also said that, when eggs are being replaced, it is vital to match the functionalities including the colour aspect, crumb structure, stability and shelf life. He added that eggs are not just ingredients but are also comprised of different chemical compounds with different technical functionalities in an end product and so it is about replicating each ingredient function. He also said that blends and full recipes are adapted to each customer which are dependant on raw materials and machinery available.
