UMAMI UNITED launches plant-based egg functionality research with Tokyo Denki University

UMAMI UNITED has launched a joint research project with Tokyo Denki University to develop plant-based ingredients that replicate egg functionality in food manufacturing.

• UMAMI UNITED has initiated a joint research collaboration with Tokyo Denki University to study and replicate egg functionality using plant-based ingredients.
• The project has focused on analyzing key egg properties such as foaming, emulsification, and gelation to develop alternative ingredient systems.
• The collaboration has combined academic expertise in egg protein science with industrial capabilities in plant-based ingredient development.

The Japanese food-tech company said the collaboration would focus on recreating key egg properties such as foaming, emulsification, and gelation, which are widely used across bakery, confectionery, and processed food applications.

The partnership brings together UMAMI UNITED and the laboratory of Professor Akihiro Handa at the university’s Department of Life Science, with a shared objective of understanding and reconstructing the roles eggs play in food systems.

Eggs remain one of the most widely used ingredients in global food manufacturing, valued not only for their nutritional profile but for their functional performance across a wide range of applications. These include foaming in baked goods, emulsification in sauces, and gelation in processed foods, all of which contribute to texture, structure, and product stability.

The project has been designed to examine these properties at a scientific level and translate them into plant-based systems that can replicate their performance in real-world applications.

Interest in egg alternatives has grown in recent years as supply chain pressures and cost volatility have highlighted vulnerabilities in conventional production. Factors such as avian influenza outbreaks and rising feed costs have contributed to fluctuations in egg availability and pricing, prompting increased research into substitutes.

Despite progress in plant-based formulations, replicating the multifunctionality of eggs has remained a persistent technical challenge. Eggs serve as what the company described as a form of foundational infrastructure in food systems, underpinning both product quality and manufacturing processes.

The collaboration has therefore focused on bridging this gap by combining academic insights into egg protein behavior with applied ingredient development. Professor Handa’s research has centered on the physicochemical properties of egg proteins, an area that underpins many of the ingredient’s functional characteristics.

Professor Akihiro Handa from Tokyo Denki University’s Department of Life Science said, “Eggs exhibit excellent properties such as heat-induced coagulation, foaming, and emulsification, making them widely used in processed foods, confectionery, bakery products, and meat processing. These functionalities are primarily derived from egg proteins.”

“By leveraging our expertise in controlling the physicochemical properties of egg proteins, we aim to develop manufacturing technologies and applications for plant-based protein products that can be appreciated by people around the world.”

On the industry side, UMAMI UNITED has brought its experience in developing plant-based egg alternatives, with a focus on ingredient systems that can deliver comparable performance in food processing environments.

The research scope includes the development of manufacturing processes for plant-based egg alternatives, alongside studies into how plant-derived proteins behave when incorporated into food products.

By examining how these ingredients interact with other components and influence final product quality, the project aims to build a more complete picture of how egg functionality can be replicated outside of animal-derived systems.

UMAMI UNITED CEO Hiroto Yamazaki described the work as addressing one of the most significant technical hurdles in the category.

“Reproducing egg functionality using plant-based ingredients remains a major technological challenge that has not yet been fully realized globally,” he said.

“Through this joint research with Professor Handa’s laboratory at Tokyo Denki University, we aim to scientifically elucidate egg functionality and deliver new options to the global food industry as a food technology originating from Japan.”

Beyond ingredient development, the partnership has also been framed as a broader effort to deepen scientific understanding in the field and support the development of future expertise in food science.

The company noted that the collaboration would contribute to training next-generation researchers while advancing knowledge of how egg functionality can be translated into plant-based systems.

Founded in 2022, UMAMI UNITED has focused on the development of plant-based egg products, with an emphasis on replicating the performance characteristics required by food manufacturers.

Tokyo Denki University, established in 1907, has a long-standing focus on science and engineering education, with research spanning a range of applied technological fields.