Evaluation of spray-dried eggs as a micronutrient-rich nutritional supplement

Abstract

Regular consumption of hen eggs can help to prevent deficiencies of essential nutrients, such as essential amino acids, vitamin A and E or trace elements zinc and selenium, for vulnerable populations. This study focused on assessing the nutritional value of spray-dried eggs, favored by their manufacturability, storability and ease of addition to (complementary) foods. Using a wide range of analytical techniques, we recorded and compared the nutrient profiles of commercially produced pasteurized whole eggs and their respective powder samples spray-dried at 160°C. Important nutrients that were not significantly affected by spray-drying include total fat content, several amino acids, α- and δ-tocopherol, lutein, zeaxanthin, essential trace elements and cobalamin. The most notable mean losses were found for unsaturated fatty acids, e.g., linoleic (by −38.7%, from 4.11 ± 0.45 to 2.52 ± 0.75 g/100 g DM) and linolenic acid (by −60.8%, from 0.76 ± 0.05 to 0.30 ± 0.04 g/100 g DM). Despite recording significant retinol losses in two out of three batches, the overall low reduction of −14% recommend spray-dried eggs as a valuable source of vitamin A. A daily intake of spray-dried egg powder corresponding to one medium sized egg meets dietary reference values for children, e.g., by 100% for vitamin E, by 24% for retinol, by 61% for selenium and by 22% for zinc. In conclusion, even though a dry weight comparison favors supplementation with pasteurized whole eggs, our results demonstrate a high potential for spray-dried eggs as nutritional supplement. However, the spray-drying process should be optimized toward higher retentions of unsaturated fatty acids and retinol.

Comparative Analysis of Spray-Dried Porcine Plasma and Hydrolyzed Porcine Protein as Animal-Blood-Derived Protein Ingredients for Pet Nutrition

“…The iron content in SDPP was 6 mg/100 g (Table 2), which is similar to the amount obtained by Sugiarto et al [39] in whey powder but more than in other sources of protein commonly used in domestic animal feeds like fishmeal (0.24 mg/100 g [40]). However, according to Jamroz et al [37], spray-dried porcine plasma contains approximately 10 mg of iron, i.e., similar to HPP in our analyses (8.82 mg/100 g, Table 2), which is comparable to the iron content in spray-dried whole egg powder [38]. The analyzed porcine proteins also contained more zinc (2 mg/100 g on average, Table 2) than whey protein concentrate powder (0.33 mg/100 g [41]), fishmeal (0.34 mg/100 g [40]), and the increasingly popular feed ingredient Spirulina maxima, where zinc was not even detected [42].…”

“…Our analysis showed less calcium in SDPP than reported by others [5,36,37], but more phosphorus and potassium. The measured amounts of phosphorus, sodium, and potassium in SDPP (1883 mg, 4718 mg, and 547 mg) and in HPP (1910 mg, 2538 mg, and 3877 mg) were higher than the values in spray-dried egg powder (81 mg, 572 mg and 519 mg, respectively) reported by Pirkwieser et al [38]. The iron content in SDPP was 6 mg/100 g (Table 2), which is similar to the amount obtained by Sugiarto et al [39] in whey powder but more than in other sources of protein commonly used in domestic animal feeds like fishmeal (0.24 mg/100 g [40]).…”

“…The analyzed porcine proteins also contained more zinc (2 mg/100 g on average, Table 2) than whey protein concentrate powder (0.33 mg/100 g [41]), fishmeal (0.34 mg/100 g [40]), and the increasingly popular feed ingredient Spirulina maxima, where zinc was not even detected [42]. The smallest amount of microelements in the analyzed products was for copper (0.007 and 0.026 mg/100 g in SDPP and HPP, respectively), which was less than reported in spray-dried egg (0.274 mg/100 g [38]) and fishmeal (0.065 mg/100 g [40]).…”

Local Sources of Protein in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: How to Improve the Protein Quality?

“…Spray drying uses hot air to remove water from a solution to generate a powder [ 104 ]. These processes remove moisture from products which allows them to have an increased shelf life and allows for easy transportation [ 105 ].…”

“…Spray-dried eggs can be added to plant-based foods to improve their protein and nutritional content. They can be used as a nutrition supplement in LMIC and be provided at lower cost than fresh eggs due to lower storage requirements, ease of transport and longer shelf life [ 105 ]. Spray-drying eggs does not lead to significant loss of important vitamins (except for 14% reduction of vitamin A) and only causes minimal loss of IAA content (4%–10%) [ 105 , 108 ].…”