KANSAS CITY — The one thing to know about egg substitutes is that there is no one thing that works in every use — or even one blend of things.

Most will readily replace 25% to 50%, and sometimes 66% to 75%, of the eggs in cakes and similar products. Some applications like brownies and pancakes do well with complete substitution. Some egg extender suppliers report customers pushing substitution into the 100% range. When replacing whole eggs, such high rates are possible, but experts also caution that texture and structure changes may accompany such high usage levels. But whatever else is certain, bakery formulators have their work cut out for themselves.

In this clean label era, the use of real eggs in processed foods speaks powerfully to consumers seeking simple, kitchen-pantry-style ingredient lists. Egg extenders and replacers, however, generally consist of multiple ingredients. On the bright side, most contain high levels of protein — another food ingredient highly sought after by many consumers. And some provide dietary fiber, also a high profile ingredient. Liquid whole eggs are 12% protein by weight and 47% in dried form; liquid whites contain 10% protein and dried 81%. So, formulators will need to evaluate substitutes carefully for their protein content.

BakingBusiness.com collected notices of egg substitutes, extenders and replacements. Readers are urged to contact these companies for full specs and application details.

Click for a slideshow of egg replacers.