Powdered Egg White

Egg whites are a versatile ingredient used in countless recipes, from gluten-free cakes to delicious meringues and soufflés. But have you ever wondered how the egg white starts out in its raw form and ends up in your kitchen cupboard in powdered form?

In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the journey of a single egg white, beginning with production on a hen farm and continuing on to the manufacturing process, packaging, and delivery to your plates.

Egg Production

The journey of an egg begins with the chicken. An egg can take up to 26 hours to form inside the chicken, starting with ovulation and progressing through several stages of development. The chicken reserves its main protein, albumin, specifically for egg white formation.

Once formed, the egg will pass through the cloaca and be laid. The egg's journey then begins in earnest, as human hands take over.

Hen Farms

Often, eggs are laid in small hen houses or larger barns, equipped with cages to protect the hens and their eggs. Humans then collect the eggs, each of which is unique in size and colour.

In recent years, more and more egg producers have switched from traditional caged operations to barns which provide chickens with more room to move around and behave naturally. This has created higher quality eggs and a more humane working environment.

Sanitation

Once collected, eggs are taken to a sanitation station to be cleaned and graded.

First, they go through a series of brushes and vibrations that remove dirt and feathers. Then, they go through a series of “candling” lamps that allow human graders to see inside the eggshell. This helps them identify any cracks or dirt spots which may have gone unnoticed during the initial cleaning.

Finally, the eggs are stored in lined trays which are manually scanned and labelled with date and time stamps. This ensures the eggs make it to the processing plant while they’re at their peak freshness.

Processing

When eggs arrive at the processing plant, they’re ready to be transformed into a variety of different egg products. Powdered egg whites are one of these products.

To create powdered egg whites, the eggshells are first cracked open, and the egg whites are collected from the yolks and whites. The egg whites are then heated and pasteurized to kill any potential bacteria.

The pasteurized egg whites are then filtered to remove large particles and shredded into tiny pieces. This ensures that when the egg whites are rehydrated in water, all pieces dissolve uniformly.

Finally, the egg whites are dried and powdered. The egg white powder is typically mixed with other ingredients such as maltodextrin or cornstarch to stabilize its texture.

Packaging

Once the powdered egg whites are blended, they’re ready to be packaged and shipped.

Packaging is designed to keep the powder fresh and free from contamination. It can come in any shaped package or container, depending on the preferences of the consumer. It’s usually made of plastic or metal, with a resealable lid to preserve the product within.

Delivery

Once the product is packaged, it’s ready to be delivered to stores, restaurants, cafes, and other food outlets. This can be done through various transport companies, either direct or indirect.

Large multi-national companies often have their own delivery fleets, while retailers may rely on third party couriers. The egg white powder is transported to its destination in temperature-controlled conditions, and monitored at all stages of the delivery to ensure it arrives in the optimal condition.

Final Use

The egg white powder is then stored in grocery stores, supermarkets, and other food outlets until it is purchased. Once it’s bought, the ultimate goal is to get it onto your plate.

Back in your kitchen, you can easily rehydrate and function in place of fresh egg whites. All you need to do is mix the powder with water, whisk it up, and use it to make anything from light and fluffy meringues to flavorful, protein-packed pancakes.

Conclusion

From beginning to end, the journey of a single egg white has been quite a complicated journey. From the hen houses to the egg processing plants, to packaging and delivery, there are several steps involved in creating the powdered egg white that makes it to your dinner plate.

This process, however, ensures that the egg whites are of the highest quality and can be easily used in a variety of different recipes. So next time you reach for your carton of powdered egg whites, you’ll know exactly how they got there!