Swapping out long ingredients lists on vegan mayo for chickpeas: ‘We’ve taken the aquafaba concept a leap further’
The global egg replacement ingredient market is estimated to reach a value of $1.5bn (€1.2bn) by 2026, with a CAGR of 5.8%, according to Future Market Insights. This significant increase in demand can be attributed to growing preference for vegan, vegetarian, and allergen-free products.
Egg-free mayonnaise is one area ingredients suppliers are looking to perform. While various brands of egg-free mayonnaise alternatives and dressing exist, not all achieve vegan or allergen-free labels.
Some, according to Israeli-based ChickP, use whey protein concentrate, while others use ‘various nuts and starches’.
The start-up’s solution is not only vegan and allergenic-friendly, but allows for a cleaner label, Itay Dana, VP Sales and Business Development at ChickP told FoodNavigator.
A one-for-one clean label egg substitute
ChickP has developed an isolate comprised of 90% protein. Using ‘all the extractable components’ of the chickpea, the company says it provides a ‘powerful and holistic nutritional boost’.
“It is a proven and compelling egg replacer for vegan food formulation in this category, giving food companies’ new opportunities to shorted and simplify their labels,” noted the start-up.
Specifically, ChickP said the solution has the potential to ‘release’ the vegan mayo market from “traditional dependence on modified starches, hydrocolloids, and stabilisers for emulsification and flavour”.
According to Dana, the ingredients label of a vegan mayonnaise alternative could list expeller-pressed canola oil, water, white distilled vinegar, salt, spice, modified food starch, pea protein, lemon juice concentrate, fruit and vegetable juice, and calcium disodium EDTA.
ChickP’s isolate ingredient, on the other hand, is made up of oil, water, chickpea protein, vinegar, sugar, spice, and flavours.
It is currently being used is different mayonnaise recipes as a one-to-one replacement for egg yolk, we were told, with the pilots being ‘so successful’ that one formulation is now going into large-scale pilot production.
Protein-rich aquafaba
According to ChickP, its solution takes the ‘aquafaba effect’ further, by increasing its protein content. Aquafaba – which is the starchy liquid from tinned beans – can be used to whip up vegan creams for meringues, macaroons, and mousses, as well as savoury mayonnaise, dressings, and cheese substitutes.
“The discovery of the chickpea aquafaba effect has been a culinary gamechanger for many vegans,” noted ChickP CEO Ron Klein. “The downside is that it still doesn’t present a viable egg substitute in nutritional terms, as it contains only a fraction of the protein of an egg.
“We took the aquafaba concept a leap further and derived that same desired effect from the body of the nutrient dense chickpea isolate.”
Further, the start-up claims its isolate demonstrates ‘superior foaming capabilities’ due to its ‘high solubility’ and ‘smooth texture’. It also possesses ‘minimal off-notes’.
“This allows us to tailor mayo recipes to the customers’ desired requirements and produce a truly creamy product that is visually and organoleptically appealing, without the use of synthetic thickening, texturizing, or masking agents.”
