An environmentally sustainable alternative to egg whites

Egg whites are an important ingredient in the food industry, where they supply protein in a huge number of products. Uses for egg whites range from clarifying wine to helping breading adhere better to fish fingers. In 2020, around 1.6 million tonnes of egg whites were used commercially, often in the form of powder. This has a significant environmental impact. Now, researchers at the University of Helsinki have come up with the potential solution.

The researchers have used ‘cellular agriculture’ to produce ovalbumin – the protein in egg whites, without using any animals. The researchers inserted the gene carrying the blueprints for ovalbumin into the fungus Trichoderma reesei. The fungus then produced and secreted the protein, which was separated out, concentrated, and dried to create a final product.

When tested, the fungus-produced ovalbumin powder had many of the same useful qualities as egg white powder from chickens, such as the ability to foam up. However, the researchers also studied the sustainability of the method, as compared to raising hens for their egg whites. The fungus-derived ovalbumin would greatly reduce land use requirements and greenhouse gas emissions,. However, the amount of energy saved would depend on the use of low-carbon energy.

Springwise