STUDENTS have come up with an artificial boiled egg suitable for vegans that is made of proteins extracted from a mystery vegetable.
The fake egg has a similar texture and colour to the real thing including a yellow yolk and salt mixture to mimic the taste of the chicken product.
Vegetable oils and a gelling agent are also used but it has none of the cholesterol found in an actual egg, reported the Daily Mail.
The invention was created by students studying food science at Udine University in Italy and they have already patented the idea.
Several major food companies have also contacted them about how they might be able to sell the product to a mass market.
Francesca Zuccolo, who was part of the team of four people behind the fake egg, explained it took them 18 months to get the recipe right.
She said: "The egg is made from a base of legumes, from which we have extracted proteins, vegetable oils, a gelling agent and a special salt that also serves to ensure a taste that is similar to that of a hen egg.
"Our goal was to get as close as possible to a hard-boiled egg."
She added: "It will be of interest for food companies that already produce products destined for vegan consumers or functional foods.
"It can be sold in organic, vegetarian and vegan groceries, but also in any supermarket, given the increasing demand for such products by consumers."
The unnamed vegetable that forms the basis of the fake egg is thought to be a soya bean and could cash in on the increasingly popular vegan movement.
Celebrities such as Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Brad Pitt, Lewis Hamilton, and Jermain Defoe have all adopted the lifestyle.
Monica Anese, the professor who leads the master's course the four students are studying on, said: "For some years I have asked my students to imagine and then to make a new food product that does not exist on the market.
"This is, however, the first time that, during the degree in science and food technology, you get to patent a new product.
"The university’s patent attorney has already been contacted by some large companies in the industry. We will meet soon."
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