Faba in Bakery: Going Egg-Free with Faba Beans

Driven by the consumer shift towards more sustainable, plant-based diets, the bakery industry is looking for “egg-less” solutions. According to recent figures, more than one-third of consumers worldwide are trying to reduce their consumption of products containing eggs from industrial farming and 13 percent do not eat them at all [according to the BENEO Global Plant-Based and Meat Hybrids Survey 2023 (N=6167)]. In addition to the need to serve people who are egg-intolerant or vegan, unpredictable egg prices are also fuelling the search for alternative ingredients.

Replacing eggs, especially in bakery products, remains a challenge for manufacturers. This is because eggs have several functionalities in bakery applications. For example, they have emulsifying and aeration as well as texturising properties. Moreover, on a sensorial level, eggs provide flavour and colour and, if needed, contribute to a glossy surface. Plus, on a nutritional basis, they can enhance the overall protein content.

In the search for a plant-based substitute for eggs, other ingredients have risen to the challenge. One of them is the faba or broad bean, a legume crop grown primarily for its edible seeds and thought to be one of the earliest domesticated legumes. The plant, formally known as Vicia faba L., belongs to the Fabaceae family. Faba beans help to make foods “future proof” as they come with remarkable sustainability credentials. As a multi-use crop with special nitrogen-fixing properties, faba beans significantly reduce the need for fertilisers on farms and, being regionally grown, they can contribute to a reduction in transport.

A Plant-Based Allrounder

BENEO has been exploring the use of faba bean ingredients in different bakery concepts and is increasingly researching their potential as an egg replacer. Tests have focused on faba bean protein concentrate. “The ingredient shows a good solubility, strong emulsifying, thickening and binding properties, as well as good foaming characteristics and a pleasant taste. In this sense, it ticks many of the important boxes that eggs do,” says Dr. Isabel Trogh, Customer Technical Support Manager at the BENEO-Technology Center.

One of the company’s first egg-replacement trials was done with muffins. The traditional version was compared with a plant-based variety that was reformulated with faba bean protein concentrate. The results showed that the faba bean muffins were very similar in volume and appearance to the egg-containing originals. Furthermore, the plant-based muffins had a pleasant taste and a comparable fine crumb structure that mirrored the reference product.

The BENEO-Technology Center paid special attention to crumb firmness as an important indicator of texture. During laboratory tests, the crumb firmness of both muffin versions was successively measured at 1 day, 1 week and 2 weeks after baking using a Texture Analyser (Figure 1). The results showed a similar crumb firmness for the reference and the egg-free muffins, even after 2 weeks of storage.

Figure 1. The reference and egg-free muffins are very similar in terms of volume and crumb firmness.

Where faba bean protein concentrate mimics eggs in the recipe, another ingredient was used to complete the plant-based solution: Orafti^® Oligofructose, a water-soluble prebiotic dietary fibre, serves as a substitute for milk powder in the recipe. Derived from chicory root, this fibre can support gut health by feeding beneficial intestinal bacteria. On a nutritional level, Orafti^® Oligofructose increased fibre levels, supporting consumers to bridge the fibre gap.

Based on the positive results, further trials have been done — including one with meringue, a confectionary that typically consists of high amounts of egg white. The BENEO-Technology Center tested a completely egg-free, plant-based version by using faba bean protein concentrate. The plant-based meringue had a pleasant taste profile and a good aerated texture, which is characteristic of the product. Another egg-less reformulation was done with shortbread biscuit. The plant-based prototype showed a comparable sandy texture as the egg-reference, delivered a pleasant taste and had a similar appearance.

High in Protein and Clean Label

Faba bean protein concentrate is distinguished by its protein content of at least 60 percent on dry matter base. The concentrate is obtained by dry fractionation, a process that allows the functionality of the native protein to be maintained. This process requires less water and energy compared to these wet processes. After cleaning, dehulling and milling of the beans into flour, the starch-rich fraction is separated from the protein-rich particles by air classification. As a vegetal protein with an excellent essential amino acid profile, the ingredient is also popular for protein fortification. Among other concepts, BENEO has demonstrated this in bakery applications by formulating for example a wholemeal, high protein bread. The protein enrichment opens the door to nutritional claims such as “source of protein” or “high in protein.”

Next to protein concentrate, BENEO’s faba bean range also includes starch-rich flour which is naturally high in protein. Both ingredients are clean label (no E-numbers needed), non-GMO and have a creamy or light-yellow colour in powder form. Sensory evaluations indicate that the characteristic bean-like taste of faba beans is milder than that of other plant-based protein sources. Although the use of higher quantities of faba bean ingredients in a recipe may lead to a subtle beany taste, there are easy ways to optimise the sensory attributes of the final product. Bakery manufacturers can use masking flavours or combine faba bean ingredients with other components that have distinctive taste, such as almond flour, lemon flavour or cocoa powder.

Enabling Affordable Bakery Solutions

The reformulated recipes of muffins and, in particular, the egg-free meringue, also reveal faba bean’s potential for cost reductions. The test recipes require a much lower dosage of faba bean protein concentrate than the amount of eggs used in the original formulation. “In this regard, plant-based reformulation can also be an important way to reduce costs, as key raw materials such as eggs have seen significant price increases,” says Dr. Isabel Trogh.

Recipe: Plant-based muffins with faba bean protein concentrate. 

Egg-free muffins created with faba bean protein are very similar in volume and look, when comparing to a regular recipe.