Aquafaba lightens pancakes and meringues but weakens structures

Aquafaba, the liquid separated after cooking chickpeas, can partially or fully replace egg white in pancakes and meringues, producing products with lower density and softer textures but less resistance to large deformation than egg-white controls. In this laboratory study, the researchers prepared pancake batters and meringue foams containing 0%, 50% or 100% aquafaba and used large-amplitude oscillatory shear rheology to examine their behavior beyond the small-strain, linear viscoelastic range. The study found that aquafaba supported air incorporation, while its lower protein content and altered network-forming behavior were associated with reduced stored and dissipated energy during deformation.

The aquafaba was prepared from chickpeas soaked for 24 hours and then pressure-cooked for 120 minutes. The cooking liquid was separated from the chickpeas, and its pH was measured at 6.15 ± 0.01 before being adjusted to approximately 5 with lemon juice. Its protein concentration was 1.12% on a wet basis and 17.42% on a dry basis, compared with 9.24% and 73.002% for egg white.

Aquafaba also contained less total material: its total solid content was 6.42%, compared with 12.69% for egg white. These compositional differences were consistent with the aquafaba’s lower ability to expand and stabilize foam in the study’s standardized whipping test. That test produced a marked difference between the two foaming ingredients.

After whisking, egg white reached 781.66% foaming capacity, meaning a much larger volume relative to the initial sample, while aquafaba reached 326.66%. Foam stability after 30 minutes was 97.22% for egg white and 84.03% for aquafaba. Aquafaba is not a single-component foaming agent: the study describes it as a mixture containing soluble proteins, saponins, carbohydrates, polysaccharides and fibrous components.

Proteins and saponins can contribute at interfaces, while soluble carbohydrates and polysaccharides influence the continuous phase. The measured gap nevertheless showed that the chickpea cooking liquid could foam, but did not match the expansion or persistence of egg white under the tested conditions. The researchers selected meringue as a relatively simple model of a foam and pancakes as a more complex fluid system containing starch granules, proteins and lipids.

For pancakes, the control contained 100 g of wheat flour, 40 g of egg white, 20 g of sugar, 2 g of salt, 4.5 g of baking powder and 108.5 g of water. The 50% formulation replaced 20 g of egg white with 20 g of aquafaba, while the 100% formulation replaced all 40 g of egg white with 40 g of aquafaba. For meringue, the formulations contained 250 g of powdered sugar and either 250 g of egg white, 125 g each of egg white and aquafaba, or 250 g of aquafaba.

All formulations were produced in three independent batches, with triplicate analyses and three technical replicates per production replicate. Replacing egg white lowered the density of both product types, a measured indication that the mixtures incorporated more air. Pancake batter density declined from 1.123 ± 0.003 g/mL in the egg-white control to 1.077 ± 0.03 g/mL at 50% substitution and 1.049 ± 0.03 g/mL at full substitution.

Meringue foam density fell from 0.156 ± 0.001 g/mL in the control to 0.138 ± 0.002 g/mL with 50% aquafaba and 0.123 ± 0.001 g/mL with complete replacement. These differences were significant at p < 0.05. Aquafaba therefore generated aerated systems, but the decrease in density did not translate into a stronger final structure.

Rheological measurements were conducted at 25°C and 1 Hz, equivalent to 6.28 radians per second, with strain amplitudes from 0.01% to 200%. In the linear viscoelastic region, the elastic modulus, G′, exceeded the viscous modulus, G″ for all pancake and meringue samples, indicating predominantly elastic, solid-like behavior. The egg-white controls had the highest modulus values.

Aquafaba reduced the elastic response, particularly in meringue, whose G′ values ranged from 0 to 1,600 Pa, compared with a G″ range of 0 to 400 Pa. Pancake G′ and G″ values ranged from 0 to 200 Pa and 0 to 100 Pa, respectively. Aquafaba also shifted the G′–G″ crossover in meringue to lower strain, showing that the substituted foams entered nonlinear behavior earlier.

The nonlinear response also differed by product. Meringues exhibited Type III weak strain overshoot: as strain increased, G′ declined and G″ rose before G″ decreased at the highest strains, a pattern associated with irreversible deformation and flow. At 200% strain, the pancake systems returned to strain softening after earlier strain stiffening, while the meringues shifted from shear thickening to shear thinning.

Chebyshev harmonic analysis gave the same broad distinction: pancakes showed positive third-to-first elastic coefficients and negative viscous coefficients in the nonlinear region, whereas meringues initially showed positive ratios for both before the viscous response became negative at 200% strain. Large-amplitude Lissajous–Bowditch curves separated the elastic and viscous parts of each stress cycle and showed that aquafaba reduced both stored and dissipated energy. The effect was especially pronounced in meringue made with 100% aquafaba.

Wider elastic stress loops in aquafaba-containing pancake samples indicated greater irreversible structural breakdown during flow, while narrower viscous loops and a more fluid-like response in fully substituted meringue indicated altered energy dissipation. The large-strain-to-minimum-strain elastic modulus and viscosity ratios also described the shift from linear to nonlinear behavior. Together, these observations indicated lower mechanical resistance in aquafaba-containing systems, even though the overall types of nonlinear response remained similar across the formulations.

Texture analysis confirmed that the baked products became softer as the replacement level increased. Control pancakes had a hardness of 47.49 ± 0.51 N, compared with 43.42 ± 0.52 N for the 50% formulation and 38.26 ± 2.03 N for the 100% formulation. Springiness, gumminess, chewiness and elasticity also generally decreased with more aquafaba.

For meringue, hardness fell from 69.37 ± 2.28 N in the control to 51.34 ± 1.93 N at 50% replacement and 43.28 ± 1.18 N at full replacement. Meringue fracturability declined from 60.09 ± 1.86 N to 47.67 ± 1.46 N and 42.68 ± 1.59 N, respectively. The texture measurements were consistent with the lower density, modulus and energy responses observed in the rheological analysis.

Scanning electron microscopy and cross-sectional images showed structural changes associated with the lower mechanical resistance. Pancakes containing higher proportions of aquafaba displayed fewer visible pores, while aquafaba-based meringues developed more layered and fragile structures. The images support the interpretation that the mixtures initially incorporated air but were less effective at retaining that aerated architecture during baking.

Color also changed with substitution. In pancakes, increasing aquafaba raised crumb brightness but lowered crust brightness; the highest redness values for both crumb and crust occurred in the 50% formulation. The authors associated the crust differences with the sugars and polysaccharides in aquafaba and their possible influence on Maillard browning and caramelization.

Overall, the study shows that aquafaba can perform useful foaming and structural functions in pancakes and meringues, but it does not reproduce the mechanical resistance of egg white. Its use produced lower-density, softer products with less capacity to withstand large deformation, and microscopy indicated less effective retention of incorporated air during baking. The authors identified several limitations and directions for further work: composition can vary with chickpea cultivar, genotype and preparation conditions, so future studies should test how protein, saponin, starch and soluble-carbohydrate contents affect air incorporation, deformation resistance and structural retention.

The same large-amplitude rheological approach could also be applied to other plant-based, high-shear foods. Sensory assessment, consumer acceptance and shelf-life studies would be needed before the practical performance of the most promising formulations could be fully evaluated.

Subject of Research: Laboratory assessment of aquafaba as an egg-white substitute in pancake batter and meringue foam

Article Title: Investigation of the Effects of Aquafaba Used Egg Replacers on Pancake Batter and Meringue Foam Rheology and Products Properties

Article References: Özyiğit, E., Erkoç, S., Özcan, İ., Kumcuoglu, S., & Tavman, Ş. (2026). Investigation of the Effects of Aquafaba Used Egg Replacers on Pancake Batter and Meringue Foam Rheology and Products Properties. Food Science & Nutrition, 14(10), Article e72392. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.72392

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.72392

Keywords: aquafaba, egg replacement, pancake batter, meringue foam, food rheology, large-amplitude shear, food texture, chickpea cooking water, plant-based foods, scanning electron microscopy, Investigation, Effects