The Depth of the Hidden Egg
It is secretly hiding in foods, drinks, preservatives, and where you least suspect. So far I have found eggs hiding in wine and in chocolates and as a preservative powder on fresh vegetables from the store. Eggs are even hidden in other ingredients as a derivative or by how it is processed with egg.
Where are eggs Secretly Hiding?
– Fruit and Vegetable Coating
Egg Based Coating is an edible preservative in the US created in June 2020 by Rice University.
This antimicrobial coating will extend the shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables. It has a protein base made from egg yolks and whites of the egg. Luckily, it can be rinsed off of the vegetables.
The main purpose is to help the food stay hydrated. This preservative is 70% egg and 30% curcumin and cellulose. Curcumin is an antifungal that slows the ripening process. It is found in turmeric spice and is derived from the rhizome of the plant. While Cellulose is made from wood and helps the food stay hydrated
It leaves a powdery residue on the vegetables and fruits. The alternative that was used prior to this creation was wax. For consumers who can’t eat eggs because of an allergy, the coating can be washed off easily with water
– Cream of Tartar
Cream of tartar is used to stabilize egg whites and prevent the crystallization of sugar in some candies, nougats, meringues, and caramels. It is created from the filtered crystallized sediment in wine barrels that used egg whites in the fining process
– Baking Powder
Baking Powder has cream of tartar as an ingredient and is used as an activating agent for dessert recipes and bread. In your recipes simply use 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda per cup of flour and don’t add the baking powder. I have a couple of articles under the substitutions section that explains substitutions and replacers. The articles are “Substitutes for Cream of Tartar and Baking Powder”, and “Egg Substitutes or Replacers“.
– Tocopherols
They are an antioxidant and extend food products’ shelf life. Tocopherols are a form of Vitamin “E” and are very good for you. The only reason it made this list is you need to look at the label to see if eggs are part of the ingredients. Otherwise, Tocopherols are made from green leafy vegetables and vegetable oils, nuts, and from seeds. They are excellent for the immune system and keep your body from forming blood clots and for less nerve pain known as neuropathy.
If there are eggs listed on the label at all then it may use eggs in the making of the tocopherol. If an egg is not listed on the label, then it is created with plants and therefore safe for the person with an egg allergy. Tocopherols are abundant in nature. It is usually added to the end of the refining process to make sure oils have good stability.
Tocopherols are found in
- Nuts – black walnuts, pecans, pistachios, and flaxseeds
- Fortified cereals
- Green leafy vegetables
- Vegetable oils – soybean, sunflower, almond, peanut, and olive oils
- The whole egg, egg whites, and egg yolks
– Calcium Carbonate
Did you know approximately 95% of an eggshell is calcium carbonate? The other 5% of the eggshell is calcium Phosphate. To dissolve the eggshell, it is soaked in vinegar for approximately 24 hours. What is left is a yellowish egg held together by the membrane. It can be bounced from a low level. Calcium carbonate is used in food as a preservative and to retain the color of food. It is also found in snails and shellfish and even quarried from marble.
Calcium Carbonate usages
It can be used as a whitening agent in art products like paints, paper, soaps and cement, and putty. They also use calcium carbonate in cosmetics. You can find it in some mouthwash, creams, powders, lotions, and even in toothpaste.
Is Cow’s milk related to Calcium Carbonate?
Did you know cows’ milk is a form of calcium carbonate? When the cows eat grass or hay it creates calcium carbonate. So, if you are allergic to eggs and the product says calcium carbonate is an ingredient it could be from the milk in the product and not necessarily from an egg. Further reading of the label should list if eggs are a product used. So, if it has egg on the label, it can be from egg but if the label has milk products and no egg you should be okay to consume the product.
What is Lysozyme
Lysozyme is an enzyme from egg whites’ albumen and is also found in egg yolks. It serves as an antimicrobial agent and an anti-inflammatory in foods. It counters fermentation and spoilage in some wines and beer, packaged foods like fish, and meat products and extends the shelf life. Some cheeses will have this. Some parmesan and soft cheeses like gouda and edam cheese may have it added in. Eggs contain 3% and people who are sensitive to eggs can have a reaction. It is especially important for children to avoid products with lysozyme if they are at risk to be hypersensitive to food additives.
Products with lysozyme
- Some soft cheeses and parmesan
- Coho Salmon eggs
- Mayonnaise
- Salad dressings
- Medications
- Some throat lozenges
- Used in the clarification of some wines
Related Article on Egg-Free Life
For further information on avoiding eggs in foods, you can check out our article:
Avoid foods that contain eggs
