Long Shelf-Life Ready-to-Eat Plant-Based Whole Hard-Boiled Eggs: Low Allergenic and Regular Formulas

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a shelf-stable, plant-based whole hard-boiled egg analogue, available in both regular and low-allergenic versions. Six plant proteins-soy, mung bean, pea, rice, potato, and wheat-were formulated into egg white and yolk components, with mung bean and wheat proteins showing the most promising sensory and visual qualities. Two preservation methods, thermal pasteurization (75-85 °C, 15-20 min) and gamma irradiation (2-5 kGy), were applied to extend shelf life while maintaining product quality. Thermal treatment at 75 °C for 15 min and gamma irradiation at 3.5 kGy were identified as optimal conditions, balancing sensory acceptability and microbial safety. Sensory evaluation by 100 untrained panelists revealed favorable scores for appearance, texture, and overall liking, without significant differences among selected formulations (p > 0.05). Accelerated shelf life testing and Q10 modeling predicted a shelf life of 188 days for thermally pasteurized eggs and 253 days (8.42 months) for gamma-irradiated eggs at 30 °C. These results demonstrate the feasibility of developing a consumer-acceptable, plant-based hard-boiled egg analogue with extended ambient shelf life.

Keywords: gamma irradiation; mung bean protein; protein alternative; shelf-stable foods; thermal processing; vegan nutrition; wheat protein.

Figure 1

Visual comparison of whole and halved plant-based hard-boiled eggs prepared using different protein sources ((a–f): rice, mung bean, pea, hemp, soy, wheat). Note: Samples ((a): rice, (d): hemp) exhibit slight surface irregularities due to prototype molding limitations. These do not reflect the sensory or textural outcomes as measured in the main analysis.

Figure 2

Radar plot of sensory attributes (mean values only) for six plant-based egg formulations. Standard deviations are provided in Table 1.

Figure 3

The quality changes for thermal pasteurized plant-based whole hard-boiled egg products: (a) at 45 °C and (b) at 55 °C. Groups of multiple data points are shown with horizontal braces to indicate significant differences between groups at p < 0.05 (*, **, ***, ****). Data are provided in Supplementary Materials Table S1.

Figure 4

Quality Changes for Gramma ray preserved Plant-Based Hard-Boiled Egg Products: (a) at 40 °C and (b) at 50 °C. Groups of multiple data points are shown with horizontal braces to indicate significant differences between groups at p < 0.05. Data are provided in Supplementary Materials Table S2.