There's An Egg For Every Application!

Prepared Foods, Oct, 1999

SHELL EGGS are always available and today are better than ever. Chickens produce more uniform eggs and the freshness and microbiological safety has also improved due to better distribution and to the many quality production programs around the country such as the UEP 5 star program or CEQAP program in California.

"EGG PRODUCTS" is the term used to designate processed and convenience forms of eggs for commercial and food service use. Among the forms of egg products that are available are:

* Liquid Egg Products are produced by breaking and separating eggs, then pasteurizing and packing. They are available as whole eggs, egg white or egg yolks. Liquid eggs are delivered to the user in sanitary tank trucks, in recyclable totes or smaller packages.

* Frozen Egg Products are produced by filling a container with pasteurized chilled liquid egg and freezing. When thawed frozen whole egg becomes quite fluid and easy to handle. Egg yolk can have a gelatinized consistency and therefore is frequently blended with a carbohydrate material such as sugar, salt or corn syrup for easy handling.

* Dried Egg Products are usually produced by spray drying although some egg white is dried on trays to produce a flake or granular form (which dissolves more readily). Dried egg products are available in white, yolk and whole egg forms.

NEW PRODUCT IDEAS

New products opportunities with eggs are endless and never go out of fashion. Here's a few new ideas and a few golden oldies to reconsider.

* Breakfast deviled eggs

* Frozen or refrigerated popovers

* Frozen souffles

* Seasoning kits for eggs

* Omelet mixes

* Potato pancakes

* Refrigerated custards and flans

* Vegetarian products

* Egg rich premium ice cream

* Refrigerated bread pudding

* Mini desserts

* Mini Angel Food cakes

* Frozen breakfast kits

* HMR's-breakfast from the deli case

* Ethnic baked products

* Crepes in the deli

* Updated egg salads

* Flourless cakes