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There have been multiple types of research focusing on the relationship between feed ingredients and metal content in the egg white due to their role in human nutrition. The aim of the present study is to determine the metal concentration in hens' eggs and, in particular, to compare the metal concentration in egg albumen originating from industrial poultry farms with that of backyard and free-range hens. All samples were collected in Romania from five separate counties and 10 different farms, over a period of two weeks and, as a result, a total of 50 were collected, 10 from each housing system (batteries/cages, litter/soil, freerange, organic and backyard). The measurements of the metals were taken by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES), with a wide range of elements reported. For the essential elements, we measured Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn; Al, Cd, Ni and Pb for the heavy metals and, in addition, we measured B, Ba, Sr, Ca and Mg. The present study revealed that the metals in eggs from free-range hens are richer in essential elements with mean concentrations as follows: 1.528 mg/kg for Fe, 3.278 mg/kg for Zn, 0.058 mg/kg for Mn and 1.362 mg/kg for Cu. We concluded that the egg quality is closely connected with the housing system and nutrition. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that eggs from backyard housing are no better than those from free-range hens in terms of essential metal composition. The heavy and non-essential metal contents, present in the albumen of all the examined eggs, were much lower than the maximum allowed concentration and, therefore, egg consumption does not pose any risk to human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we report the synthesis of CuxFe3‐xO4 nanoparticles (NPs) via a novel, facile, cost‐effective, and eco‐benign method using a water‐soluble egg‐white. The characterization studies confirmed that the fabricated CuxFe3‐xO4 NPs are crystalline and possess super‐paramagnetic behavior. The fabricated magnetic CuxFe3‐xO4 NPs also exhibited excellent catalytic performance towards the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde using tetra‐butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as an oxidant under solvent‐free conditions. It was found that the addition of egg‐white during the synthesis significantly enhanced both the crystallinity and catalytic activity. Among the prepared ratios, Cu1.5Fe1.5O4 demonstrated the highest conversion (>73 %) and complete selectivity (100 %) to benzaldehyde under lenient oxidation conditions. The novelty of the work lies in achieving the magnetically recoverable CuxFe3‐xO4 NPs in the absence of any base or other organic reagents and is highly selective for the production of benzaldehyde under the mild reaction condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to design 3D scaffold hydroxyapatite (HA)/collagen (Coll) based egg‐white (EW) as antibacterial properties. The calcium source in HA synthesis derived from the Pinctada maxima shell cultivated on Bali Island has proven biocompatibility, and the compressive strength exceeded human bone. HA synthesis by precipitation with heat treatment in oven‐dried at 80°C (HA‐80) and annealed at 900°C (HA‐900), has crystallinity 48% and 85%, respectively, were used for scaffold design. The physicochemical properties of X‐ray diffractometer spectra showed that increasing temperature affected the crystallinity and HA phase formed. Furthermore, the crystal structure of HA changed in nanocomposite due to the substitution of Coll and EW, and the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra confirmed that the absorption peak of the phosphate group (1027–1029 cm−1) decreased intensity, presumably by protein binding of EW and Coll. The cell viability of HA/Coll/EW in 24, 48, and 72 h incubation period was 112.34 ± 4.36, 104.89 ± 3.41, 72.88 ± 6.85, respectively. The decreases of cell viability due to high cell density and reduced nutrients in wells. Antibacterial activity of HA/Col/EW exhibited a strong zone of inhibition against bacteria causing periodontitis; Porphyromonas gingivalis, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Fusobacterium nucleatum, and Staphylococcus aureus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Molecular studies of hen's egg allergens help define allergic phenotypes, with IgE to sequential (linear) epitopes on the ovomucoid (OVM) protein associated with a persistent disease. Epitope profiles of other egg allergens are largely unknown. The objective of this study was to construct an epitope library spanning across 7 allergens and further evaluate sequential epitope-specific (ses-)IgE and ses-IgG4 among baked-egg reactive or tolerant children. Methods: A Bead-Based Epitope Assay was used to identify informative IgE epitopes from 15-mer overlapping peptides covering the entire OVM and ovalbumin (OVA) proteins in 38 egg allergic children. An amalgamation of 12 B-cell epitope prediction tools was developed using experimentally identified epitopes. This ensemble was used to predict epitopes from ovotransferrin, lysozyme, serum albumin, vitellogenin-II fragment, and vitellogenin-1 precursor. Ses-IgE and ses-IgG4 repertoires of 135 egg allergic children (82 reactive to baked-egg, the remaining 52 tolerant), 46 atopic controls, and 11 healthy subjects were compared. Results: 183 peptides from OVM and OVA were screened and used to create an aggregate algorithm, improving predictions of 12 individual tools. A final library of 65 sequential epitopes from 7 proteins was constructed. Egg allergic children had higher ses-IgE and lower ses-IgG4 to predominantly OVM epitopes than both atopic and healthy controls. Baked-egg reactive children had similar ses-IgG4 but greater ses-IgE than tolerant group. A combination of OVA-sIgE with ses-IgEs to OVM-023 and OVA-028 was the best predictor of reactive phenotype. Conclusion: We have created a comprehensive epitope library and showed that ses-IgE is a potential biomarker of baked-egg reactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The mechanism of egg formation in the oviduct of laying hens is tightly controlled; each segment of the oviduct contributes a unique component of the egg. Several genes/proteins are involved in the synthesis of a completely healthy egg. This implies a time- and tissue-specific expression of genes and proteins in the different oviductal segments. We used hens at different physiological stages and time points to understand the transcriptional regulation of egg-white (albumen) synthesis and secretion onto the eggs in the magnum of laying hens. This study used Next-Generation Sequencing and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) to detect the novel genes and the cognate biological pathways that regulate the major events during the albumen formation. Results: Magnum tissues collected from laying (n = 5 each at 3 h post-ovulation, p.o. and 15–20 h p.o.), non-laying (n = 4), and molting (n = 5) hens were used for differential gene expression analyses. A total of 540 genes (152 upregulated and 388 down-regulated) were differentially expressed at 3 h p.o. in the magnum of laying hens. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways analysis of the 152 upregulated genes revealed that glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism was the most-enriched biological pathway. Furthermore, the top two most enriched keywords for the upregulated genes were amino-acid biosynthesis and proteases. Nine candidate genes associated with albumen formation were validated with qPCR to have differential expression in laying, non-laying, and molting hens. Proteases such as TMPRSS9, CAPN2, MMP1, and MMP9 (protein maturation, ECM degradation, and angiogenesis); enzymes such as PSPH, PHGDH, and PSAT1 (amino-acid biosynthesis); RLN3, ACE, and REN (albumen synthesis, secretion and egg transport); and AVD, AvBD11, and GPX3 (antimicrobial and antioxidants) were recognized as essential molecules linked to albumen deposition in the magnum. Conclusions: This study revealed some novel genes that participate in the signaling pathways for egg-white synthesis and secretion along with some well-known functional genes. These findings help to understand the mechanisms involved in albumen biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effect of gamma irradiation treatment on the secondary structure of the whole egg-white proteins was investigated. Liquid, frozen, and dried egg-white samples were subjected to gamma irradiation doses of 0, 1, 2, and 3 kGy. Protein secondary structures were determined by Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier-Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. In liquid egg-white samples, irradiation caused a conformational change from α-helix to disordered structure. Besides, a decrease in intermolecular β-sheet content was detected. On the other hand, no significant changes were observed in the secondary structure of frozen and dried egg-white samples. The significance of the results and their possible relationship to the viscosity decrease was also discussed. It was suggested that radiation-induced structural rearrangements may play a key role in the viscosity decrease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effect of gamma irradiation treatment on the secondary structure of the whole egg-white proteins was investigated. Liquid, frozen, and dried egg-white samples were subjected to gamma irradiation doses of 0, 1, 2, and 3 kGy. Protein secondary structures were determined by Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier-Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. In liquid egg-white samples, irradiation caused a conformational change from α-helix to disordered structure. Besides, a decrease in intermolecular β-sheet content was detected. On the other hand, no significant changes were observed in the secondary structure of frozen and dried egg-white samples. The significance of the results and their possible relationship to the viscosity decrease was also discussed. It was suggested that radiation-induced structural rearrangements may play a key role in the viscosity decrease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increase of distribution of environmental contaminants such as heavy metals have been caused the knowledge of the safety and hygiene of food is very important, especially eggs, because of its role in the daily diet. There are very few studies about the investigation of the heavy metal contents in egg-white. In this study, six heavy metals include Aluminium (Al), Arsenic (As), Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Mercury (Hg), Antimony (Sb) in egg-white from 32 industrial poultry farms were investigated, by ICP-OES. All the samples were collected in all area of Markazi Province, Iran in autumn 2013. The mean concentrations of heavy metals in egg-white as follows: 0.119 for Al, 0.785 for As, 0.750 for Pb, 0.249 for Cd, 0.270 for Hg and 0.186 mg/kg for Sb. Also, the concentration of the some heavy metals were higher than maximum allowable concentration that probably it is associated to use pesticides and activities of industrial factories around the poultry farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the thermostabilization of ovotransferrin by anions for pasteurization of liquid egg white. One of the most important food material due to its useful functions which includes gelling and forming properties is egg white. Widely used in the food industry is the liquid egg white which needs to be pasteurized to reduce Salmonella enteritidis which causes food-poisoning in humans.

The use of lysozyme as a food preservative and the factors affecting lysozyme activity (temperature, chemicals, processing and complexes) is reviewed. Lysozyme inhibits the growth of deleterious organisms thus prolonging shelf life. Chemicals used to improve the preservative effect of lysozyme and those that inhibit the enzyme are discussed along with the stability of lysozyme in various chemical environments. Lysozyme has been used to preserve fresh fruits and vegetables, tofu bean curd, seafoods, meats and sausages, potato salad, cooked burdock with soy sauce, and varieties of semi-hard cheeses such as Edam, Gouda and some Italian cheeses. Lysozyme added to infant feeding formulae makes them more closely resemble human milk. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]