A COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION OF EGG AND EGG REPLACERS ON THE PRODUCT QUALITY OF MUFFINS

ABSTRACTFive muffin formulations, liquid whole egg, dry whole egg, and three commercial egg replacers, which partially replaced egg in the formulations, were evaluated to determine differences in product qualities caused by egg and egg replacers. The products were prepared following the same procedure and other ingredient compositions, except for egg or egg replacer used in the formulation. Physical product characteristics and sensory properties of the samples were evaluated. It was found that egg, as an ingredient in the muffin formulation, is critical to obtain expected product quality characteristics. None of the commercial egg replacers produced acceptable quality muffins at 100% replacement. Partial replacement of egg with commercial egg replacers changed product characteristics altering moisture retention, bulk volume, color, texture and flavor. Some of these differences, however, were not readily detected by the sensory panelists.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSThis study comprehensively evaluated the effects of egg and egg replacers on final product quality, when used in pilot‐scale muffin production. An array of tests were conducted on samples prepared according to respective ingredient manufacturers' recommendations – partially replacing egg with commercial egg replacers – to objectively evaluate the differences in quality and sensory attributes. The functionalities of each ingredient (egg replacer) in muffin formulations were interpreted based on the results obtained. The observations and results of this study would be important in selecting appropriate ingredients for muffin formulations to obtain desired product qualities.