An insight on egg white: From most common functional food to biomaterial application

Abstract

Natural egg white tis widely used as an ingredient in nutritional foods and for food processing. Due to its characteristic foaming, emulsification, adhesion, and gelation, and its heat setting, biocompatibility, and low cost, research into the application and development of egg white in biomaterials, especially medical biomaterials, have been receiving attention. The composition and characteristics of egg white protein, and the physical mixing and chemically cross‐linking of egg white with other materials used to make degradable packaging films, bioceramics, bioplastics, biomimetic films, hydrogels, 3D scaffolds, bone regeneration, biopatterning, biosensors, and so forth, are reviewed in detail in this report. The novel egg white‐based biomaterials in various forms and applications could be constructed mostly through physical treatments such as ultrasonic wave, ultraviolet, laser and other radiation or high‐temperature calcination. Furthermore, the application and prospects for the use of egg white in biomaterials is also discussed.

Protein-Based Films and Coatings for Food Industry Applications

“…Egg white is an important, versatile and cheap source of protein. It has been used in composites [ 55 ] or for bioplastic [ 56 ]. In research, egg white film was obtained by extrusion and compared with commercial polylactic acid-based film.…”

Avian Egg: A Multifaceted Biomaterial for Tissue Engineering

“…EW is a mixture of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals . Among the more than 150 proteins in EW, the most abundant include ovalbumin (44.5 kDa, ∼54%), conalbumin (also known as ovotransferrin, 77.7 kDa, ∼12%), and ovomucoid (28 kDa, ∼11%), globulins (∼8%), ovomucin (∼3.5%), lysozyme (∼3.4%), and flavoprotein (∼0.8%) (Figure a). ,− Ovalbumin, conalbumin, and ovomucoid contribute to EW viscosity, and ovalbumin and conalbumin undergo thermally induced gelation. , Furthermore, ovalbumin leads to the foaming properties of EW. − Conalbumin has antibacterial properties . Ovomucoid has allergenic properties and is extremely resistant to heat, enzymatic denaturation, and degradation. − Like conalbumin, lysozyme displays antibacterial properties, − but unlike conalbumin, it is thermally stable. , EW-derived components, individually or in combination, hold great promise in the design of functional biomaterials for TE.…”

“…Compared with other albumins that are widely used in the biomedical field, including bovine serum albumin (BSA), ovalbumin is more affordable. Like other albumins, ovalbumin binds to various proteins, including growth factors, a quality that is advantageous for TE applications. ,, Farrar et al used partially pure, commercially available chicken ovalbumin to develop porous hydrogels for bone TE and showed that, using in vitro studies with MC3T3-E1 cells, the scaffolds supported cell proliferation and promoted their osteogenic differentiation . Other approaches involve combining ovalbumin with synthetic polymers and naturally derived polysaccharides, such as PVA, polyethylene glycol (PEG), cellulose, and starch. , …”

Roles of Proteins/Enzymes from Animal Sources in Food Quality and Function

“…Egg albumin is rich in disulfide bonds and thiol groups, and thin films can be formed by alkali and heat treatment [ 103 ]. Compared with commercial polylactic acid (PLA) film, egg white protein (EWP) film, which is produced by an extrusion and rolling process, has higher water permeability, rigidity, heat resistance, and oxygen barrier, which can be used as part of semi-solid and solid food packaging materials [ 104 ].…”