A Singaporean company just released an entirely vegan hard-boiled egg using fungi to mirror the look and taste of a chicken egg. OsomeFood released its realistic OsomeEgg using mycoprotein in a similar way that plant-based meat brand Quorn utilizes the fungus. The mycoprotein allows for OsomeFood’s plant-based egg to hold a high-protein content as well as other nutritional amino acids that conventional animal eggs provide.

The fungi-based mycoprotein is accompanied by other ingredients including almond milk, carrot juice, olive oil, wakame, potato starch, black salt, and nutritional yeast. The eggs present the world’s first substitute for an animal-based hard-boiled egg, giving consumers the ability to enjoy a hard-boiled egg in their food without purchasing an animal product.

“We believe in harnessing the power of real food to equip our bodies with the nutrients it needs for us to live our best lives,” founder of OsomeFood Jason Fong said in a press release. “Natural ingredients are key and are what makes us different from other meat-alternative products. We are not simply vegan, our food is as nutritious as it gets.”

OsomeFood’s central mission is to create plant-based food to meet consumer health needs, especially for those who worry about changing to a plant-based diet. The company has released Fishballs, Noodles, Fishcakes, and more, all meant to provide people with plenty of vegan alternatives to make a sustainable switch easier. Spending nearly a decade researching the best method to create nutrient-rich food, OsomeFood managed to study customer demands and needs to create its innovative products.

“Plant-based foods are saving lives. Life in our oceans, on land, and our environment, slowly helping balance our planet,” OsomeFood writes on its website. “It’s time to boost our immune system. It’s time to get stronger and healthier, with the world’s first nutrition-focused whole food plant-based functional food.”

The plant-based egg market is rapidly growing to mirror consumer interest in vegan diets and protein alternatives. Last year, demand from Chinese consumers reached unprecedented levels. The plant-based egg market in the United States also experienced a significant spike. The Plant-Based Foods Association released a report that projects that the U.S.'s plant-based egg category rose 168 percent in 2020 and saw $27 million in sales.

California-based Eat Just broke into the U.S. plant-based egg market, seeing substantial success and a surge in popularity. The company’s JUST Egg brand announced that it sold the equivalent of 100 million eggs, showcasing the unwavering popularity of the egg alternatives. Between companies like OsomeFood and Eat Just, international consumers and retailers can meet the unprecedented consumer demand for egg-like products.

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