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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

IgY Technology: Extraction of Chicken Antibodies from Egg Yolk by Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) Precipitation
Published on: May 1, 2011
Identification of antiadhesive fraction(s) in nonimmunized egg yolk powder: in vitro study
Zeina G Kassaify1, Esther W Y Li, Yoshinori Mine
1Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada.
Abstract:
The presence of antiadhesive component(s) in the hen egg yolk against foodborne pathogens was anticipated from results of a previous animal study conducted by the authors. The previous work showed egg yolk powder without specific antibodies is effective in controlling Salmonella enteritidis,Salmonella typhimurium, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 colonization in laying hens. Therefore, this study was necessary to locate the activity and identify the effective component(s). In vitro experiments were conducted using confluent Caco-2 cell monolayers. S. enteritidis, S. typhimurium, and E. coli O157:H7 were investigated against the various extracted granule and plasma fractions in three different assays: adhesion elimination, adhesion prevention, and antimicrobial. This study revealed original findings and identified the protective yolk fraction against the foodborne pathogens as the granule component, high-density lipoproteins (HDL). The protective activity conveyed by HDL was confirmed to remain intact despite peptic and tryptic enzymatic digestion and to have antiadhesive but not antimicrobial effect.

