Plant-Based Company Unveils 'Minimally Processed' Egg Replacement For Burgers

Dutch food tech company Revyve just unveiled a plant-based egg replacer made from upcycled brewer’s yeast.

According to Revyve, the plant-based egg replacer is the first “clean, minimally processed” ingredient of its kind to be available on a broad commercial scale. It will debut the yeast-based product in burgers at the B2B food expo IFT First 2024 later this month.

There is growing interest in plant-based binders and other agents that are free from ultra-processed ingredients and e-numbers, such as methylcellulose.

Revyve co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Edgar Suarez Garcia described the product’s performance in burgers as “like egg whites.” The patented egg replacer becomes “firm yet springy,” and helps to bind ingredients into the desired patty shape.

“The science-backed ingredients Revyve has pioneered produce the sensory appeal that consumers want in burgers,” said Cedric Verstraeten, CEO of Revyve, in a release sent to Plant Based News (PBN). “Revyve delivers the meatiness and juicy firmness that cater to consumer appetites. These nutritious, wholesome ingredients are all-natural and non-GMO.”

Yeast-based egg replacer: cost-effective and nutritious

Photo shows a plant-based burger made using Revyve's egg replacer — Alessa Joseph According to Revyve, its egg replacer can be used for all manner of alternative proteins and products

By working with waste yeast, the company enjoys some of the functional benefits of fermented ingredients – which are becoming commonplace amongst emerging alternative proteins – while bypassing fermentation itself for a cost-effective final product.

Revyve’s non-GMO egg replacer is labeled “yeast protein” and sold in a powdered format. It can also be incorporated into baked goods, other alternative proteins, and vegan dairy.

Verstraeten said that Revyve plans to launch gluten and allergen-free versions of its ingredients in Q3 2024. The company has now raised over USD $15 million in funding via venture capital firms and industry leaders like Anheuser-Busch InBev and Royal Cosun.

Queen Máxima of the Netherlands recently visited Wageningen University in the country’s “Food Valley” region for the opening of its new Plus Ultra II building, where she tried a prototype Revyve hamburger and gave it “two royal thumbs up,” according to Verstraeten.

Revyve is not the only company to produce protein from discarded brewer’s yeast. ProteinDistillery announced a partnership with German tech group NETZSCH in April on a EUR €15 million industrial-scale production center capable of making tons of egg-like “Prew:tein.” Last year, NIZO’s EGGcited Consortium also scaled up production.