Meala FoodTech scales pea protein production to replace 82,000 eggs daily

Meala FoodTech has more than tripled its manufacturing capacity across sites in France and Germany to meet demand for pea proteins that replace eggs in bakery products and texture additives in meat alternatives. The Israeli company forecasts its ingredients will replace the equivalent of 82,000 eggs a day in 2027.

The expansion comes as Meala reports formulation cost savings of approximately 30–40% in bakery tests. Its ingredients are designed to reduce egg dependency while allowing manufacturers to work with existing production equipment and processing conditions.

“Our sales forecast and planned production volumes for 2027 are based on our current customer pipeline and direct discussions with food manufacturers,” Tali Feldman Sivan, co-founder and chief business officer of Meala, tells Food Ingredients First.

The company is working with dozens of food businesses across multiple categories. Its forecast combines customers’ anticipated ingredient requirements with Meala’s estimates of conversion rates, time to first order, and volume growth following product launches.

Bakery formulation economics

The savings depend on how much ingredient is needed to deliver the required functionality in a finished product. In bakery recipes, Meala says its protein typically makes up only a few percent of the formulation, replacing a larger quantity of eggs, with water adjusted as needed.

“The savings are based on cost in use: the amount of an ingredient needed to provide the required functionality in the final application,” Feldman Sivan explains.Meala’s pea protein helps reduce egg use in baked goods.

In one sponge cake comparison, the company reported formulation cost savings of more than 40% against an egg-based reference. The broader savings of 30–40% vary with the recipe and the extent of egg replacement.

“Actual savings depend on the recipe, level of egg replacement, and formulation requirements,” she says.

Replacing eggs still requires R&D work to rebalance water content and ingredient ratios, followed by validation of the finished product. However, Feldman Sivan says manufacturers can make these formulation adjustments without changing their equipment or processing conditions.

From ingredients to retail products

Meala’s pea proteins serve different roles across bakery and savory applications. Lasenor markets its bakery egg replacement solution as Lasenor VP-100, while dsm-firmenich offers Vertis PB Pea for savory products.

In meat alternatives, the protein provides binding and structure while replacing conventional texture additives, such as hydrocolloids. Meala says the ingredient can be labeled as “pea protein,” supporting shorter ingredient lists.

“The first plant-based meat alternatives featuring Meala’s protein have already been successfully launched by customers and are now commercially available across Europe,” says Hadar Ekhoiz-Razmovich, CEO and co-founder of Meala.

The company also says it has reached a self-affirmed generally recognized as safe (GRAS) conclusion for its pea protein for food applications in the US, following a review by an independent panel of qualified experts.

Storage and product development

Beyond ingredient costs, Meala sees opportunities to simplify storage and handling. Its dry protein could reduce manufacturers’ reliance on refrigerated logistics compared with liquid eggs, potentially easing transportation and inventory management.

The company is also investigating whether the protein’s water-holding properties can help baked goods retain moisture over time.

“In the finished product, we are exploring how its water-holding properties can help retain moisture and softness over time, potentially extending sensory shelf life and reducing waste,” Feldman Sivan says.

Meala also cites a life cycle assessment conducted by Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. According to the company, the assessment found a 63% lower carbon footprint and a 96% lower water footprint per kilogram of protein compared with egg powder.

Meala will showcase egg-free baked goods at Fi Europe 2026 in Frankfurt, Germany (Nov 17–19), at booth 51SU53.