Fabumin tackles egg industry challenges with functional aquafaba-based substitute

Fabumin, a start-up that leverages upcycled aquafaba to create a plant-based and allergen-free alternative to conventional egg powder, recently received an innovation award at the FiE 2024 trade show in Frankfurt, Germany.

CEO and co-founder Adi Yehezkeli sits down with Food Ingredients First to unpack the trends and proprietary technology behind the “functional and multipurpose” egg alternative for the food industry.

“As a small start-up, the most important thing about this win is the ingredient industry’s recognition of our plant-based raw material and its importance to the food sector and beyond. Our vision is to mainstream aquafaba into industrial use.”

Leveraging tech for affordability

Fabumin uses low-energy drying technology to turn aquafaba into a functional egg substitute. This “plug-and-play” system can be integrated with existing legume processing facilities.

“Our technology is on-site inside the legume factories where we evaporate 80% of the wastewater. The factory can reuse the same water all over again to make byproducts. So we can offer them wastewater treatment and reduce their water bill while helping generate new income in the factory itself.”

Recycling wastewater plays an essential role in supporting sustainability goals.

“We handle wastewater and develop aquafaba powder from it instead of the factory having to distill it or pour it down the drain. This reduces the use of conventional eggs while lowering the environmental footprint needed to sustain the egg industry. So it’s a very sustainable raw material.”

Yehezkeli considers balancing affordability and producing at an industrial scale central to Fabumin’s proprietary process.

“Aquafaba contains sugar and it’s impossible to dry it efficiently. It is a costly technology. We know how to dry it cheaply with our clean label additives. We add these to overcome the sugar barrier and make aquafaba industrial by lowering the price compared to eggs.”

Mainstreaming plant-based egg alternatives

With the uptake of plant-forward eating amid health-conscious consumer cohorts, Fabumin recognizes an opportunity for plant-based, allergen-free products.

“There is a growing demand for plant-based ingredients that are good for the planet,” notes Yehezkeli.

Fabumin’s technology allows it to extract aquafaba from various legumes.The company’s technology allows it to extract aquafaba from various legumes.

“Thousands of legume factories worldwide work with peas, chickpeas, beans and soy. The soy industry, for instance, generates a massive amount of wastewater. There is a lot of raw material with which we can address the high demand for plant-based eating.”

While the global demand for eggs is surging with efforts to move toward protein-rich diets, the egg industry is grappling with environmental, economic and social challenges. Frequent bouts of avian influenza have also set prices soaring and quantities scarce.

This instability makes achieving price parity with conventional eggs crucial, according to Yehezkeli.

“Knowing the food industry, it’s about the price. Egg prices constantly change due to bird flu and other catastrophes. By offering a stable and affordable price similar to eggs, we can penetrate the market faster and cement Fabumin as an egg alternative.”

The egg replacement market is seeing rapid innovation with precision fermentation, which makes producing protein similar to an egg and with the same binding, emulsifying and foaming properties possible without animal intervention.

Yehezkeli recognizes animal-free egg advancements made by companies using ingredients such as potato, yeast and sugar. But what sets Fabumin apart, she says, is that the raw material (aquafaba) already exists in abundance, making it easier for the start-up to maintain a steady supply to manufacturers.

“We don’t need to extract anything through complex procedures. Our raw material is made from waste, which makes it affordable, sustainable and versatile. Manufacturers can mask it in finished products and consumers cannot tell whether they’re eating a cake with eggs or an egg alternative.”

Getting the properties right was a challenge for the company, but developing a product that mimics the functionality of eggs makes it easier to adapt the egg alternative into recipes.

“We’re sure that even if consumers find out that they’re eating plant-based eggs, they will embrace the change because they understand what we’re trying to do — reducing the environmental damage and animal welfare concerns associated with the egg industry.”