Liquid Egg
Liquid egg is the edible contents of hen eggs removed from the shell, filtered, pasteurised and sold chilled or frozen in bulk, covering whole egg, separated egg white and separated yolk as the three standard streams.
The three fractions behave quite differently, which is why they are traded separately. Egg white is around 88 percent water with its solids almost entirely protein, dominated by ovalbumin, ovotransferrin and lysozyme, and it is the foaming and gelling fraction. Yolk is around half solids, carrying the lipid and the lipoprotein and phospholipid system, lecithin included, that makes it the emulsifying fraction as well as the source of colour. Whole egg, blended at the natural ratio of roughly one third yolk to two thirds white, combines both functions.
All three are pale yellow to deep orange fluids depending on fraction and on hen diet, fully miscible with water, and heat sensitive in a way that decides how it is handled. Pasteurisation has to run in a narrow window, hot enough for a Salmonella reduction and cool enough to avoid coagulating the protein, so egg pasteurisation temperatures are markedly lower and the hold times longer than those used for milk. Product is held at refrigeration throughout and used within a short shelf life unless frozen or ultrapasteurised into an aseptic pack.
We source bulk Liquid Egg from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Jiangsu. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
or call +86-21-6858 0751
- Function
- Protein
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Homogeneous pale yellow to orange liquid, free from shell fragments |
| Odour and Taste | Characteristic fresh egg, free from sour or musty notes |
| Total Solids (whole egg) | Minimum 23.0% |
| Protein (whole egg) | Minimum 11.5% |
| Fat (whole egg) | Minimum 10.0% |
| pH | 7.0 to 7.8 |
| Lactic Acid | Maximum 1,000 mg/kg on dry matter |
| Shell Residue | Maximum 100 mg/kg |
| Pasteurisation Verification | Alpha-amylase negative |
| Total Plate Count | Maximum 50,000 cfu/g |
| Enterobacteriaceae | Maximum 100 cfu/g |
| Escherichia coli | Absent in 1 g |
| Salmonella | Absent in 25 g |
| Storage Temperature | 0 to 4 degrees Celsius, or frozen below minus 18 degrees Celsius |
Common Markets Grades
The first distinction is the fraction, whole egg, albumen or yolk, each sold against its own solids specification, typically around 24 percent for whole egg, 11 to 12 percent for white and 43 to 45 percent for yolk. The second is the preservation route, chilled pasteurised with a shelf life measured in days, extended shelf life or ultrapasteurised material filled aseptically and holding for weeks, and frozen product for long storage.
Formulated grades follow from the physics of freezing and drying. Yolk gels irreversibly when frozen, so frozen yolk and frozen whole egg are stabilised with salt or sugar at around 10 percent, which fixes the end use and is declared on the label. Egg white intended for drying or for long hold is desugared by glucose oxidase or by controlled fermentation to prevent Maillard browning. Further options include standardised colour yolk for pasta and mayonnaise, high solids concentrated whole egg, enzyme treated white with improved whipping, and cage free, free range or organic certified lots sold against segregation records rather than a different specification.
Applications
- Industrial bakery, where whole egg is metered into cake, muffin and sponge batters for structure, colour and moisture
- Mayonnaise and dressings, where yolk supplies the lecithin that stabilises the oil in water emulsion
- Custards, flans and dessert creams, relying on the heat set gelation of egg protein
- Meringue, nougat and aerated confectionery, where albumen forms and holds the foam
- Fresh and dried egg pasta, where yolk contributes colour and bite
- Foodservice and institutional catering, where pre-broken pasteurised egg removes shell handling and the associated Salmonella risk
- Ready meals and quiche fillings, dosed as a liquid into the filling phase
- Processed meat products, used as a binder in terrines, meatballs and fish cakes
- Breading and batter systems, where egg improves adhesion of the coating to the substrate
- Ice cream and frozen dessert bases, where yolk emulsifies the mix and smooths the melt
Brands Using Liquid Egg
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Liquid Egg on the ingredient label.
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Liquid Egg
Top Liquid Egg manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
In the United States egg products are regulated by the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the Department of Agriculture under the Egg Products Inspection Act, with continuous inspection at processing plants and mandatory pasteurisation to the time and temperature combinations specified in the egg products regulations. Shell eggs themselves fall to the Food and Drug Administration under the egg safety rule covering Salmonella Enteritidis prevention on the farm. Eggs are one of the major food allergens named in the Food Allergen Labelling and Consumer Protection Act, so egg must be declared on any food containing this ingredient.
In the European Union Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 covers egg products and lays down specific hygiene rules, including the requirement that they be heat treated, the conditions for approved establishments, and limits on shell residues and lactic acid content that indicate poor raw material. Microbiological criteria for egg products, including a Salmonella criterion and an Enterobacteriaceae process hygiene criterion, are set in Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005. Eggs appear in Annex II of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 and must be emphasised in the ingredient list. Codex maintains a code of hygienic practice for eggs and egg products that covers the same ground internationally, and no E number or JECFA specification applies, since liquid egg is a food rather than an additive.
Manufacturing Process
Shell eggs arrive from the packing station and are candled to detect cracks, blood spots and internal defects, then washed and sanitised on a roller conveyor and dried, because surface contamination transfers to the contents at the moment of breaking. Automatic breaking machines crack each egg and separate white from yolk on a cup and saucer arrangement, with inspection stations that divert any cup containing an off odour or discoloured egg. Whole egg lines simply combine the two streams.
The liquid passes through filters and clarifiers to remove shell fragments and chalazae, then into chilled buffer tanks where it is blended and, where the specification calls for it, standardised on solids or dosed with salt or sugar. Pasteurisation runs on a plate heat exchanger in a narrow window, in the region of 60 to 62 degrees Celsius with a hold of several minutes for whole egg, and at lower temperature with a longer hold for albumen, which coagulates more readily. The treatment is verified by an enzyme marker test rather than by temperature record alone. The pasteurised liquid is cooled immediately to below 4 degrees Celsius and filled into bag in box, tanker or aseptic packaging, or is frozen in blocks or totes. Where dried product is the target, the pasteurised liquid is desugared and spray dried instead of filled.
