Who’s afraid of the big bad egg? Some people, especially children, are actually allergic to eggs and the problem can even become fatal in some cases. In fact, this kind of allergy is among the top of the list in terms of food allergies in both children and infants. It really can be a nuisance and even become a very serious problem if you aren’t careful. It can cause terrible rashes and stomach aches as well as an occasionally rare death. Chemists in Germany and Switzerland may now have the solution but the answer is yet to reach the wider market for several more months.
In a new study, Angelika Paschke was the leading expert who explained how a process of exposing raw eggs to both enzymes and high heat could break down the significant allergens in the eggs and render them harmless. This would certainly be an amazing achievement if there weren’t any other drawbacks.
As it stands now, the scientists tested their idea on a lower level case of an allergy prone egg. This was done against a blood serum gathered from people with the egg allergies to see what the reaction would be. The new egg product proved to be 100 times less allergenic after the enzymes and high heat were applied. The process also didn’t affect the flavor or texture of the egg in a significant way. If this proves to be the final result of all other tests and applications, this will truly be an “eggstraordinary” achievement!
This study entitled “In Vitro Determination of the Allergenic Potential of Technologically Altered Hen’s Egg” will be printed in the March ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Scientists will also be interested in seeing how this process can be applied to the wider market for egg production and sale. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed!

Source: American Chemical Society