Are there any vegetable analogues of ovalbumin?

Question

Greenghost, maybe you know?

Eggwhites (primarily ovalbumin in composition) can be beaten because the ovalbumin protein partly unfolds under shear stress to form an excellent surfactant (it makes bubbles.)

Further, ovalbumin denatures nicely with a moderate amount of heat, and those beaten bubbles can, with the inclusion of a little starch or fiber, become structurally stable.

Both these properties are important to me, since I require a very low-carb diet. A low-carb diet means that if I want anything that looks like a baked good I have to rise it with beaten egg-whites and hold it up with insoluble fiber. Ergo, beaten egg-whites are the only thing that keeps me from being vegan.

Various polysaccharides work as a surfactant and make plenty of bubbles, but those bubbles seem to have no stability when cooked. I presume because being polysaccharides they do not denature.

I *think* this unfoldability is on account of ovalbumin being in the serapin protein family, but I don't know.

Answer 1

Have you tried Orgran No Egg? It can indeed be beaten and is the closest to egg white I've seen so far. Probably because it contains Methylcellulose and Calcium Carbonate, a combination that might help. After trying several products, I'm quite happy with it, although I don't bake a lot and adding a mixture of soy flour and water or soy cream is my usual thing to replace eggs.Since Orgran also contains Potato Starch and Tapioca Flour however, you will have to add extra carbs to your low-carb recipe.

Answer 2

I think you may be the first to ask for me in a question rather than shoot email to me. AH, I just saw you don't do email, you should know that on YA email is confidential so your address stays hidden (which is why I've spent most of my free time today with email instead of answering questions).

On to the real stuff! Gabriella has given a good answer. In the US and UK you will find Ener-G brand egg replacer easier to find than Orgran and either works fairly well. My only complaint with these products (yes, I've used both) is that while they do foam to allow rising they have almost no binding capacity which means cakes are very delicate (i.e. crumbly).

Xanthan gum can be used at the rate of 1 tsp per 1/4 water to replace each egg where binding is needed. It also keeps baked goods fresh longer since it holds moisture so well (a nice side benefit).

Typically I use them together depending on exactly what I'm making (and my mood). For a cake try using twice the recommended egg replacer powder and whip to soft peaks, then add half the 'normal amount of Xanthan to the dry goods for the binding (don't add extra water). There's a few carbs with this method but since quantities of Ener-g and Xanthan are small...

Rather than (once again) going into detail on the science of egg proteins read my answer to the question:

"Should Marlow foods make a vegan version of Quorn? What do you think"

Simply enter that into the YA Search for questions box and you'll get an education about egg white.