Float Foods Debuts Asia’s First Plant-Based Egg Yolk & White Alternative ‘OnlyEg’

Singapore food tech Float Foods has just debuted its first product, a plant-based whole egg substitute. Called OnlyEg, the product is Asia’s first alternative protein product of its kind to replicate both the distinct yolk and white components of a real egg, setting it apart from the other liquid blends available on the market. Currently under development, the startup plans to commercially launch the product by 2022.

Singapore-based Float Foods, which was founded in June this year by Vinita Choolani, has announced today (November 30) its debut plant protein product dubbed OnlyEg. It is the first commercial plant-based whole egg replacement in the Asian market so far, made from legumes-based proteins and comprising a substitute for both the egg yolk and white. 

According to the firm, OnlyEg can be prepared and assembled within minutes to recreate classic egg dishes often found in Asian cuisine such as a sunny side-up, overeasy or soft boiled egg – but is cruelty-free, vegan-friendly and more sustainable than its conventional animal-based counterpart. Float Foods says that the product will be commercially available by 2022. 

“Eggs play a major role in Asian cuisine. Some of our local favourite ways of enjoying them are on its own, as soft-boiled eggs with toasts for breakfast, or a sunny side-up served with rice dishes such as nasi lemak or fried rice,” explained Choolani, who noted that Singaporeans alone consume nearly 2 billion chicken eggs every year. 

“Ultimately our goal is to apply food science and innovation to build plant-based products such as OnlyEg that enable cultural relevance and contribute to a sustainable food ecosystem that can be a part of Singapore’s future food plans.”

While vegan egg alternatives are not a novelty, with famous pioneers such as San Francisco’s Eat Just offering its liquid egg replacement for years and Asian startups like Evo Foods developing a similar liquid version, Float Foods’ version is among the first in the world to achieve the likeness to a real chicken egg, and certainly the first in the Asian market, where 65% of global egg production is based. French food tech Les Merveilloeufs’ alternative – which is set to launch via foodservice in Paris by the end of the year – comes in a shell, and once cracked, also looks exactly like a real egg with its distinctive egg and yolk separation. 

Ultimately our goal is to apply food science and innovation to build plant-based products such as OnlyEg that enable cultural relevance and contribute to a sustainable food ecosystem that can be a part of Singapore’s future food plans.

Vinita Choolani, Founder & CEO, Float Foods

What Choolani believes sets Float Foods’ egg replacement even more apart from other alternatives is its nutritional value, which according to the firm, matches that of a whole chicken egg while eliminating the other health dangers associated with the animal food chain, from antibiotics overuse to the emergence of zoonotic diseases in factory farms – a headline concern in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. 

“Matching the nutritional make-up is only the beginning of what we want to achieve. Eventually we want to be able to create variations of our plant-based products that are embedded with nutritional properties that can enhance the lives of consumers with different dietary needs,” Choolani shared. 

“In doing so, OnlyEg will be placed on the forefront of plant-based egg substitutes by closing the gap between the original product and the substitute further than ever before.”

The announcement comes on the heels of Float Foods’ launch of NEW FOOD Startup 2020, a cross-border food incubator, in partnership with Ultra Indonesia, which aims to support the growth of alternative protein players and their new food solutions across the region. 

We’ll be padding out the next two years with a line of commercially viable plant-based products created using proprietary and licensed technology that will form the bedrock of our plant-based food ecosystem.

Vinita Choolani, Founder & CEO, Float Foods

Speaking about Float Foods’ goals within Singapore, a city with plans to up its food self-sufficiency to 30% by 2030 to defend against supply chain shocks, Choolani says that as a homegrown food tech company, they are in an “optimal place to push the plant-based movement by working along the entire supply chain to contribute towards this goal.” 

Looking ahead, Float Foods also has plans to develop other plant protein alternatives, including dairy-free yoghurt, cheese and milk, and a line of plant-based egg patties and shredded eggs within the next two years. To fuel its growth, the startup is currently fundraising a Series A round. 

“While we work hard with investors and innovation partners to develop OnlyEg to its full potential, we’ll be padding out the next two years with a line of commercially viable plant-based products created using proprietary and licensed technology that will form the bedrock of our plant-based food ecosystem,” Choolani exclusively told Green Queen.

Lead image courtesy of Float Foods / designed by Sally Ho for Green Queen Media.