在麵包師成本上升的情況下，CSM研究雞蛋替代品

雞蛋被消費者視為一種高附加值的優質原料，由於其廣泛的功能，包括凝固、乳化、起泡和結晶控製，對產品配方也有強烈的吸引力。大豆和玉米等穀物價格飆升——飼料成本在12個月內飆升30%——對雞蛋價格的打擊尤其嚴重，因為與肉牛等其他牲畜相比，飼料成本在總成本中占很大比例。雖然麵包師不得不消化雞蛋原料價格的上漲，或將成本上漲轉嫁給消費者，但食材製造商表示，麵包師對雞蛋替代品的需求日益增長，這有助於降低成本。從醃製的蛋黃製劑到巴氏消毒的雞蛋霧化劑，用於糕點上的金色光澤，雞蛋的原料廣泛用於蛋糕和餅幹等烘焙食品。但是，對於食品開發人員來說，如何取代這種具有吸引力的功能和一係列營養成分，包括蛋白質、必需維生素a、D、E和B以及鐵、磷和鋅等礦物質的天然成分，是一項重大挑戰。荷蘭CSM公司烘焙原料創新中心主任烏多·沙夫博士說:“這不是一項容易的任務，因為雞蛋太複雜了。”這家烘焙原料供應商上月在德國設立了一個新的創新中心，專注於為國際市場開發烘焙原料。該公司已經開始關注雞蛋替代品，正在研究各種可能的雞蛋替代品。沙夫博士向BakeryandSnacks.com解釋說:“替代品主要由乳製品行業提供，特別是從牛奶蛋白中提取的蛋白質成分。”該公司在德國的新創新中心，旨在為麵包師的配方和加工領域的新產品開發產生知識和基本構建模塊，調查了雞蛋的具體應用，以建立產品配方的必要標準。“在幾乎所有的案例中，我們都看到了調整整個配方的必要性，而不僅僅是替換雞蛋成分，”他繼續說道，強調了研究雞蛋替代品的麵包師麵臨的研發挑戰。 According to the innovation centre director, CSM can offer its customers a series of building blocks that they can adapt to product needs, and that will optimise formulations to make the 'best use of ingredients and additives'. Elsewhere, in a bid to offset some raw material costs for bakers, US firm Advanced Food Systems has launched its BakeRite ingredient systems as an alternative to using whole egg solids. The firm claims its ingredient - that uses a blend of starches and gum to mimic an egg - can replace up to 60 per cent of the whole egg used in baked goods, . Further, Arizona-based Gum Technologies recently introduced a new line of hydrocolloid and stabiliser blends to replace eggs in custards, doughs and baked goods to try and help manufacturers tackle rising egg prices. But for the moment, demand from bakers for egg replacers is only starting to trickle in with the premium, natural appeal of eggs underpinning their popularity and still apparently holding sway over costs. Indeed, a popularity that sees UK consumers alone eating 29 million eggs a day and 10 billion eggs a year, according to 2008 figures from the British Egg Information Service.