Egg Allergens Scrambled

In a breakthrough for allergy sufferers, European researchers have manipulated eggs to reduce - almost, but not quite, remove - their allergenic properties.

The press release says:

People who suffer from egg allergies may soon be able to have their quiche and eat it too. Chemists in Germany and Switzerland report development of a new process that greatly reduces allergens in eggs and may lead to safer, more specialized food products for individuals with egg allergies.

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In the new study, Angelika Paschke and colleagues describe their process, which exposes raw eggs to a combination of high heat and enzymes to break down their main allergens. The researchers then tested their reduced-allergen egg against blood serum collected from people with egg allergies. The modified egg product was 100 times less allergenic than raw egg, the scientists say. It does not significantly affect flavor and texture when used in various products, they add.

The study "In Vitro Determination of the Allergenic Potential of Technologically Altered Hen's Egg" is scheduled for the March 12 issue of ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Being able to do this in eggs doesn't imply that a similar technique will work against the allergens in milk, but all fundamental breakthroughs in the field are good news.