MOA Foodtech and Espiga I+D have formed a Bakery Innovation Alliance to help bakery and pastry manufacturers reduce their reliance on eggs and remove E-471 from formulations.

The partnership will focus on testing and validating bakery and pastry applications for MOA Q5, a yeast-based ingredient developed by MOA Foodtech that can replace egg, function as an emulsifier and eliminate the need for E-471.

The companies said the collaboration aims to give manufacturers a route to evaluate fermentation-derived ingredients under real production conditions, addressing challenges around egg supply and demand for cleaner-label products.

Bakery and pastry manufacturers have faced increased pressure from volatile egg prices and supply uncertainty, with repeated avian influenza outbreaks disrupting production over recent years.

At the same time, retailers and consumers are placing greater emphasis on clean-label products, prompting manufacturers to explore alternatives to additives such as E-471.

MOA Q5 is produced through biomass fermentation using starch-rich industrial byproducts. The ingredient is declared as “yeast” on the label, is non-GMO and does not require Novel Food classification, according to MOA Foodtech.

The company said MOA Q5 has already been validated in bakery, pastry and pasta applications as an egg replacer, emulsifier and alternative to E-471.

Through the new alliance, MOA Foodtech and Espiga I+D will work on further technical validation of egg replacement solutions for bakery and pastry applications.

The partnership will provide manufacturers with access to ingredient samples, pilot formulations and application support, allowing companies to assess MOA Q5 in production environments.

Espiga I+D will contribute its application development expertise and pilot-scale and semi-industrial infrastructure. The centre, which began operating in Sarriguren, Navarra, in mid-2025, provides research and development services across the cereal value chain.

Its facilities include laboratories for quality control and physicochemical testing, first-processing and applications workshops, and infrastructure for formulation, prototyping and sensory validation. The centre also operates a Bühler teaching mill with capacity of more than 14 tonnes of flour per day, alongside industrial bakery lines using lamination and rounding technologies.

This infrastructure will allow the partners to reproduce industrial processes, test different production conditions and validate formulations before their transfer to manufacturing plants.

MOA Foodtech develops functional ingredients through fermentation, supported by its in-house AI computational platform, Albatros.

The biotechnology company uses agri-food side streams to develop functional and nutritional ingredients for the human food, pet food and nutraceutical sectors. It also works with industrial partners to develop solutions using their byproducts.

Bosco Emparanza, CEO of MOA Foodtech, said: “By partnering with Espiga I+D, we make it easier for manufacturers to validate and adopt next-generation fermentation ingredients."

Maite Cabodevilla, head of new developments and applications at Espiga I+D, added that the centre works with companies developing functional, innovative and sustainable ingredients to create solutions for the food industry.

The companies said the alliance will enable manufacturers to explore applications for MOA Q5 while supporting the development of new solutions in response to changing market requirements.

MOA Q5 contains gluten, meaning allergen labelling requirements apply and must be assessed for each formulation and target market.