PRODUCTION PROCESS
HISTORY
The removal of the water content as mean to increase the life of foodstuffs has been tried for a long time by the humans; it is therefore most likely that its origins for eggs go back to time unmemorable. It is however sure that patents for dehydrating eggs were granted in the United States already at the end of the 19th Century; China is the country where it is acknowledged the first mass production of dried egg products, mostly aimed at the export market. The first drying of egg white only were most probably made always in China, around 1910, and the process was to pour liquid whites into trays which were left out in sunshine, to dry; the finished product, most defective from the organoleptic and microbial safety points of view, at the time taken in no consideration as all, was exceptional for functionality, with whipping and stability even better than the raw material from which is was made. The technology for an appropriate drying of eggs greatly benefited from the 2nd World War, mostly in the United States, to make available to the troops and the civilians a highly nutritive foodstuff freed from the problems of fragility and availability. The research for new technologies is still being made nowadays.
RAW MATERIAL
Liquid egg white is a most important foodstuff both nutritionally and functionally; furthermore, the dehydration process, if appropriately made, gives to it absolutely excellent specifications. The drying process comes after a most fundamental preparation, based on over forty years of company background and which is different for each of the grades produced.No constituent – lysozyme, ovalbumin, conalbumin – is extracted from our product which is extremely unusual, and possibly even unique, for a European Union based manufacturer of spray dried egg white; our dried product is not subjected to any absorption process and are therefore impossible all the contaminations, all more or less potentially dangerous, which might derive from the contact with the materials used for the above mentioned absorptions. We may therefore state that the dried egg whites we produce are really natural and complete of all the constituents.
DRYING
The drying process if of the spray type. Liquid egg white is sprayed in tiny drops within a strong flow of very hot air, previously filtered to remove not only the tiniest foreign matter but even some of the bacteria which can be in the atmosphere; each drop loses the moisture, living extremely small solid particles. The company spray driers have an hourly capacity of over 2 tons of water. The drying and heat treating equipment, exclusive since built on in-house design, allow to claim the absolute excellence of our product, produced with major energy savings if compared with the prevailing systems, thus achieving a reduced impact on the environment.
HEAT TREATMENT
The post-drying heat treatment is made in a perfectly insulated surrounding, fully automated and constantly monitored; the capacity is about 120 tons. At the end of the heat treatment, once verified that both the microbial specifications and the functional properties fulfill the extremely strict company standards, the product is liberalized to be sold.prevailing systems, thus achieving a reduced impact on the environment.
STORAGE
The handling of the dried product is made through automated processes, using a laser driven shuttle (LGV) which automatically moves the pallets to the different areas of the warehouse, awaiting the assignment to a specific customer, since each shipment is made ready precisely as each requires. An advance system of control and management of the ambient humidity allows to keep both the product and the packing in optimal condition.
ANALYSIS
Also extremely important is the timely control of the raw material, of the process and of the finished product. The tests are made both in the in-house laboratory that monitors all the products and the processes and in the accredited outside laboratory which verifies the compliance of the products/processes and the reliability of the in-house laboratory.
Raw material
Drying
Heat treatment
Storage
Analysis
Applications of egg albumin powder
Egg albumen is made up of about 10% proteins and of about 1% glucose – everything else is water; it is therefore apparent that the food industry is interested just in the solid matter, the proteins especially. Egg albumen is a foaming agent with the property, if vigorously beaten, to enclose the air bubbles which are made during the beating process and to hold them for a relatively long period; these properties come from the proteins, the globulins especially, which give the whipping power (catching the air bubbles with consequent increase of volume), while ovomucine and lysozyme give stability to the foam (keeping the foam compact even after the beating is stopped), and ovoalbumin and conalbumin which coagulate at low temperatures and fix the structure of the foam after the cooking process, achieved without having to reach temperatures so high to affect taste and color of the finished product.
This is why it is so important that the dried product is intact and not deprived of any of the natural components, even if this brings for the dried egg whites manufacturer a relevant loss of income from potential sales of lysozyme, ovoalbumin and conalbumin to specific sectors of the food industry as well at to the pharmaceutical one.
Other uses instead enhance the binding capacity of the albumen protein, the property to hold together small particles of the same food or even particles of different foods; the individual tabs specifies list in detail the uses for which each type of albumin powder is most suitable.
Other usages on the contrary value the binding properties of egg white proteins, the power to keep together small particles of one foodstuff and even particles of different ones; each specification sheet list in detail the usages for which each grade is especially suited – without any wish of being exhaustive one can say that the two grades of binding product find their most typical applications in fish sticks, surimi, beef and pork sausages, frozen hamburgers, breaded foods, potato croquettes, batters, filled noodles, diet and high protein foodstuffs for sportsmen and body builders, pet foods, wine clarifiers and tannery products.
More suited to make the foam described above are the grades which are called “Extra High Whipping” and “High Whipping” which find applications in the production of meringues, soft and hard nougat, morenköpfen, ice cream, bakery mixes and sorbets.
SHEETS PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
CERTIFICATION
