Alternative proteins have a role in Australia’s egg supply

As the current avian influenza outbreak affecting two states and one territory in Australia demonstrates, Australia is not immune to food security issues. Diseases are ever-present and always a threat to plant and animal food supplies. Eggs and egg ingredients are an incredibly important part of our food supply, yet egg alternatives are underrepresented in the alternative protein sector. In food manufacturing eggs are used as binders and thickeners, for coating and leavening, and emulsifying and foaming.

Australia has an underdeveloped market offering of plant-based egg options compared to Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States. However, there are multiple ways alternative proteins can help produce egg proteins or egg mimics. Australia already has plant-based egg options available, including Orgran, which uses tapioca flour and potato starch, and McKenzies, which uses the same but with the addition of pea protein. The international company JUST Egg uses mung beans and is designed to replace whole eggs.

A particularly promising alternative is the production of bio-identical egg white proteins that can be used wherever egg whites are required in baking or elsewhere, such as in a meringue. While not yet commercially available in Australia, these proteins have every possibility of becoming the future for baked goods. Made using precision fermentation, they have been commercially proven to provide a product with consistent qualities (unlike conventional eggs) at a predictable and competitive price. The main commercial advantage of precision fermented egg protein is that increased volumes of production lead to a decrease in marginal cost, ultimately leading to the production of food ingredients for minimal cost.

In June 2024, Food Frontier met with EVERY Company in San Francisco, USA, which uses precision fermentation not only to produce egg white proteins to supplement other foods but also to provide the functional qualities that egg whites bring to cooking, including providing better gelation and binding in plant-based meat products. It is one of only a handful of companies in the world using precision fermentation to make egg proteins. At the time, the company had received more than USD$400m in investment and has a brown-field site ready to accommodate a commercial-sized facility, with customers ready to buy from them.

One of the world’s largest food manufacturers, Unilever, partnered with EVERY Company in early 2024 to use bio-identical egg whites in their vegetarian meat business, The Vegetarian Butcher, which will use the egg white proteins as a binder. EVERY Company shared with Food Frontier its goal of targeting the top five food manufacturers that use eggs, mirroring the ambitions of precision fermentation dairy companies like Change Foods and All-G, which aim to supply the world’s leading pizza cheese producers.

Most of the six and a half billion eggs produced by Australia go into food manufacturing. The availability of egg products made from technology such as precision fermentation could revolutionise the industry. This solution could also make it more affordable for food manufacturers to expand their production to meet the growing demands of a rising population while also reducing their scope 3 emissions and mitigating the carbon footprints and greenhouse gas emissions associated with conventional egg production. A USA survey of 1,500 people conducted by McKinsey & Company revealed that 61% would be willing to try animal-free eggs using novel technology1. This strong consumer interest indicates a promising market acceptance, reducing the commercial risk associated with these novel ingredients.

Egg proteins made from precision fermentation can reduce the vulnerabilities of conventional egg supplies. There is little doubt that Australian food manufacturers will be exploring these options if they aren’t already. With our skills and knowledge, having this technology produced onshore would increase Australia’s self-reliance and manufacturing capacity, providing affordable, consistent options that are less susceptible to devastating avian diseases, shortages, and price variations.

1. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/agriculture/our-insights/novel-proteins-consumer-appetite-for-sustainably-made-ingredients