"While freezing or drying eggs may slightly change the nutritional composition of eggs, the beneficial nutrients are minimally affected. Protein, lutein and choline are all stable in the freezing and drying processes,” says Hilary Thesmar, Ph.D., director, food safety programs, Egg Nutrition Center, Washington, D.C. Pasteurization also has a very minimal effect on the nutritional composition of eggs, and pasteurized eggs are widely used in the industry for emulsification, she adds. In addition, the beneficial nutrients in eggs withstand the baking process and are therefore all present in baked products containing eggs.

Photos courtesy of The American Egg Board.

“Pasteurization speaks squarely to food safety. In the United States, anything broken open in the egg industry-so anything other than shell form-will be pasteurized. The reason is the yolk is so nutrient-rich it could sustain bacteria, and the pasteurization is the food safety process where you kill any bacteria,” Brunnquell says.

When a baker switches from one egg product to another, formulation changes are necessary. “It is really a matter of how a company is structured and how the formulations are written, but we have worked with companies who said, ‘Now we are doing liquid, and we want to go to powder.’ We sit down with whoever has written the particular [formula] because now instead of putting 20 gal. [of liquid egg] in a batch, you might put 2 lb. [of powdered egg],” Brunnquell says.

Other ingredients will need to be added as well. When switching from liquid to frozen-sugared yolk, for example, bakers must account for the sugar and possible blending changes, Froning says. Food scientists can help bakers achieve the desired finished product with the new egg form.

Egg Innovations has worked with companies switching from one egg form to another. “If you're making a meringue or a pie and you want the whites to really whip up, we can get a high whip white using a frozen egg white, a powder, etc., but the [formulas] will be slightly different on peripheral ingredients,” Brunnquell says.

“Egg products can be produced to definite specifications to assure consistent performance in formulations,” Thesmar says. “Most egg products are virtually indistinguishable from fresh eggs in nutritional value, flavor and most functional properties.”