Vegan hard-boiled egg developed by Udine students

By Katy Askew

- Last updated on GMT

iStock/fordeno
iStock/fordeno

Related tags Meat substitutes Meat

Students at the University of Udine in Italy have developed a product with the appearance and characteristics of a hard-boiled hen egg that is made entirely from plant-based ingredients.

The vegan egg comes in the form of a ready-to-eat product. It is made from a combination of flours from various legumes, vegetable oils, a gelling agent and a vegan salt.

Developed by four students working on their master's degrees in food science and technology- Francesca Zuccolo, Greta Titton, Arianna Roi and Aurora Gobessi - it is the hundredth patent registered by the University, Udine noted in a statement.

The development followed a year-and-a-half of research in the laboratories of the department of agro-food, environment and animal science at Udine.

According to the students, they had to overcome a number of challenges to produce the final product, including technological issues and ingredient choice.

“Numerous tests”​ were required to achieve the “optimum formulation”​ in terms of “consistency and taste​”, they noted.

The egg is cholesterol-free and gluten-free and would, therefore, be suitable for people who suffer hypercholesterolemia or coeliac disease, as well as consumers who want to reduce or exclude animal-derived products from their diets. It can also be manufactured from organic ingredients, the students suggested.

The University plans to present the product to companies who may be interested in acquiring the patent-protected process “in the coming weeks”​.

Rising European demand for plant-based foods

Sales of plant-based foods are rising in Europe, with demand growth supported by ethical and environmental concerns, health and wellness trends, increased availability and improved consumer perceptions of product quality.

According to forecasts from research firm Allied Market Research, the global meat substitutes market is expected to grow by around 8.4% through to 2020. Europe is the largest market for meat substitutes accounting for 39% of global sales.

Globally, European food makers are leading the way in terms of meat-free innovation.

Data from Mintel shows that seven out of the top ten markets for alternative protein product launches are European. “In the three years ending June 2017, Germany led global innovation in meat substitutes, followed by France, Sweden, Italy and the UK. However, Germany’s share of innovation declined in the year ending June 2017 as innovation intensified in Sweden and Italy,”​ Mintel analyst Patty Johnson revealed.

In Italy, Johnson said the uptick in NPD activity is a result of massive increases in consumers who claim to be working to reduce their meat consumption. Around half of Italian consumers say they are lowering their red meat intake, while 24% say they are increasing the amount of vegetarian processed foods in their diet, she noted.

Meanwhile, in Sweden, the demand driver is retail-based, Johnson continued. “In 2016, two of Sweden’s largest supermarket retailers, Coop and ICA, launched campaigns aimed at increasing consumer awareness around the environmental impact of eating meat, while also promoting the uptake of meat alternatives as healthier and more humane,”​ she explained.

4 comments

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The Point

Posted by Todd,

You actually make a good point. If you are a vegan, why try to simulate animal products? Part of the answer is that I think that people making the transition to being vegan miss animal based products. For me, cream cheese was very difficult to not eat. Rather than substitute with something, however, I just visualized what I thought the cheese was doing to my arteries, and my cravings stopped. I also have visualized the mistreatment of the animals from whence the product comes.

That being said, if someone really enjoys hard boiled eggs, (or the spices in sausages) and a substitute can be made, and it helps them stay true to their ethical or health choices, I think that is a good thing.

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The point

Posted by Susan,

Mary Fisher, the point is, many of us are enlightened and don't feel the need to kill sentient beings to feed ourselves.

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The point is no animals suffered

Posted by Christian,

Animals are sentient and deserve to be left out of our plates. The egg industry exploits hens and grounds or suffocates male chickens while alive because they are of no use for profit.

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