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Microbial lysates repurposed as liquid egg substitutes
Kyeong Rok Choi1,2,3, Da-Hee Ahn1, Seok Yeong Jung1
1Metabolic and Biomolecular Engineering National Research Laboratory, Systems Metabolic Engineering and Systems Healthcare Cross-Generation Collaborative Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 four), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.
Microbial lysates can form gels and foams like liquid eggs when heated and whisked. This makes them a sustainable, nutritious alternative for food applications.
Area of Science:
- Food Science
- Biotechnology
- Sustainable Food Systems
Background:
- Animal-derived liquid eggs are common food ingredients.
- There is a growing demand for sustainable and nutritious food alternatives.
- Microbial lysates offer a potential protein-rich source.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the gelling and foaming properties of microbial lysates.
- To evaluate microbial lysates as a sustainable alternative to animal-derived liquid eggs.
- To explore the culinary applications of microbial lysates.
Main Methods:
- Heating and whisking microbial lysates.
- Assessing gel formation and foam stability.
- Analyzing nutritional content.
Main Results:
- Microbial lysates exhibited significant gelation and foam formation capabilities upon heating and whisking.
- The texture and stability were comparable to liquid eggs.
- Lysates were found to be rich in protein and essential nutrients.
Conclusions:
- Microbial lysates present a viable, sustainable, and nutritious substitute for animal-derived liquid eggs in food production.
- Their functional properties support versatile culinary applications.
- This offers a promising avenue for eco-friendly food innovation.
