Examining coagulation conditions for the utilization of technical albumen. A preliminary study

Department of Meat and Fish Technology, University of Food Technologies, 26 Maritsa Blvd, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Abstract

Egg processing, a major source of high-value protein for the food industry, is on the rise. However, it generates significant waste. Utilizing egg by-products, especially technical albumen, offers ways to create value-added products. The aim of this study is to examined different coagulation conditions for the utilization of technical albumen. Four types of coagulation were examined. The first type required pH correction using an acid solution (30% citric, lactic, or acetic acid) until the pH ranged from 4.8 to 5.2, followed by thermal coagulation using steam. The second type involved mixing the technical albumen with various percentages of 96% ethanol, ranging from 1% to 10%, followed by coagulation using steam. The third type was a combination of the first two. The precipitates were collected in porous fibre and pressed for 15 minutes at 350 gr/cm². Citric acid led to grainy, high-yield precipitates; lactic and acetic acid yielded more homogenous precipitates with increased dry matter loss. Only the 7.5% addition of ethanol resulted in relatively high precipitate yield. The combination of pH correction and ethanol addition didn’t enhance yield. Understanding the correlation between the composition of the technical albumen and applied coagulation condition necessitates further analysis.