The VEOS Group, processes egg residues, categorized as Cat. 3 materials, into high-quality, feed-grade egg powder. They reached out to us to align their environmental impact data of feed-grade egg powder to the Agri-footprint database.
These datasets were previously published in the GFLI database as representative for the European egg powder sector. The datasets are now publicly available.
To ensure the highest level of accuracy and relevance, these datasets have been recalculated to align with the latest industry standards. The updated inventory utilizes background data from Agri-footprint 7.0.1 and ecoinvent 3.11.
While no new primary data was collected, these Agri-footprint-aligned datasets provide an up-to-date environmental profile of feed-grade egg powder, enabling stakeholders to make more informed sustainability decisions.
Egg powder is a concentrated ingredient in a powder form derived from the processing of liquid egg components. This product represents a high-value utilization of food-chain side streams, transformed through pasteurization and spray-drying into a stable, nutrient-dense format.
Protein Concentration: Typically characterized by a rich protein content and offering a complete amino acid profile with high bioavailability for animal feed applications.
Physical State: A fine, free-flowing powder or pellet with low moisture content that ensures long-term shelf stability without the need for refrigeration.
Digestibility: Recognized for its high digestibility, making it an efficient protein source compared to many plant-based protein concentrates.
From a sustainability perspective, the production process focuses on the valorization of secondary streams, from hatcheries, graders and/or processing plants. Those are for instance clear or cracked eggs, spinning liquid and other Cat. 3 material. Their environmental impact is determined by specific allocation rules; mass, economic, and energy – all modelled for Agri-footprint integration. When economic allocation is applied (widely accepted allocation method in feed LCA), no value is considered at the point of production entailing that no environmental burden is carried by upstream life cycle stages, such as feed production and animal farming.
The transition from liquid egg to powder provides substantial sustainability and longevity benefits in the downstream supply chain:
Concentration Factor: The drying process significantly reduces the physical footprint of the raw material, allowing for significant increase in transport efficiency.
Shelf Stability: Unlike liquid products, the resulting powders are shelf-stable at ambient temperatures, eliminating the high energy footprint of the cold chain (refrigerated or frozen transport and storage).
The environmental data of VEOS Group feed-grade Egg powder is now publicly available as Agri-footprint 7 aligned dataset.
The life cycle inventory (LCI) is available as .csv file, which can be imported into the SimaPro LCA software.
Do you have questions about the datasets? Or interested in Agri-footprint aligned datasets for your products? Get in touch with Elena.