Sunflower protein replaces eggs in vegan and vegetarian cookies

04/29/2024

Editorial of the Health Diary

sunflower meal

One of the challenges faced by the food industry is the need to develop products aimed at restrictive diets, such as veganism and vegetarianism, as well as for consumers with intolerances or allergies. Bakery products, for example, generally based on milk and egg derivatives, are part of the list of most avoided foods.

However, eggs (whole, or separated into yolk and white) are essential in the formulation of breads and biscuits, playing a functional and emulsifying role, which makes substitutions difficult.

The solution may be in sunflower meal, according to researchers from the Campinas Food Technology Institute (ITAL), who worked together with colleagues from the Fraunhofer Institute for Process and Packaging Engineering (Germany).

Defatted sunflower meal (FDG) has different functionalities due to its high protein content, approximately 60%. In experiments, FDG and its protein isolate were used as emulsifiers in cookie recipes, replacing, partially or completely, powdered egg yolk. A commercial emulsifier called Datem served as a control.

The results showed that the color and flavor of the cookies remained practically unchanged – the average flavor did not vary statistically between the samples, but some tasters pointed out those prepared with sunflower ingredients as more pleasant. However, cookies containing sunflower ingredients showed greater hardness.

The study therefore demonstrated that defatted sunflower meal and its protein isolate can be used as emulsifiers to replace egg yolk in the production of biscuits, also presenting potential for other formulations. The evaluated ingredients represent plant-based alternatives for vegan products, and their use will certainly contribute to the enhancement of the sunflower production chain.