Food giant Nestlé has announced that it has developed a shelf-stable, plant-based protein blend that replicates eggs.
The powdered product, made of soy-based alternative, contains an equal amount of protein as eggs with reduced saturated fats and cholesterol.
The product is also fortified with iron to address micronutrient deficiencies and finds use in a wide range of dishes, such as scrambled eggs, omelettes, or baking, Nestlé noted.
Torsten Pohl, head of Nestlé's product and technology centre for food, said, "Egg is one of the most widely used protein sources. With this unique solution, we wanted to provide an affordable, nutritious solution that could be used to replace some of the eggs when cooking egg-based dishes."
Egg Alternative
Currently, the egg alternative is being tested in Central America under the Malher brand in a limited number of stores.
The food giant plans to roll out the product across more markets in Latin America in the future.
It has been developed by Nestlé R&D experts by leveraging the company's know-how in the development of plant-based food alternatives, such as the recently launched vegan alternative to eggs under the Garden Gourmet brand.
Lourdes Muñoz, regional manager for Central America at Nestlé, said, "We are excited to test this new concept in Central America, where egg dishes are a major source of protein for many.
"By replacing some eggs with this shelf-stable plant-based protein, we will not only provide an affordable alternative but a sustainable one too that many people can use when cooking breakfast, lunch, or dinner."
Nestlé's R&D teams are also exploring innovative solutions for affordable, shelf-stable, protein blends that can be used as meat alternatives in certain geographies with a limited cold storage supply chain.
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest A-brand news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
