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Updated: Jan 18, 2026

IgY Technology: Extraction of Chicken Antibodies from Egg Yolk by Polyethylene Glycol PEG Precipitation
Published on: May 1, 2011
Egg Yolk Immunoglobulins (IgY) Purification, Activity Enhancement, and Potential Benefits for Human Health
Huilong Qiu1,2, Xiaomin Jin2, Xiaomei Zhang3
1Department of Nutrition and Health, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China.
With the rapid development of the laying hen industry and the continuous innovation of farming technology, egg production continues to increase. Eggs are rich in proteins, lipids, and immunoglobulins (IgY) found in the egg yolk. IgY can be used to treat human diseases and prevent bacterial and viral infections. In addition, IgY has advantages over IgG in biological structure and function and is characterized by high specificity, safety, yield, and economic efficiency. This review describes the basic structure and properties of IgY, lists a variety of IgY purification methods, and outlines measures to maintain and enhance its activity, focusing on the current status of its research in immunoprevention and treatment of human diseases and outlines its importance, and finally proposes the current challenges and future research priorities of IgY in the field of biomedical research to provide a scientific basis for the wide range of applications of IgY in human health.
With the rapid development of the laying hen industry and the continuous innovation of farming technology, egg production continues to increase. Eggs are rich in proteins, lipids, and immunoglobulins (IgY) found in the egg yolk. IgY can be used to treat human diseases and prevent bacterial and viral infections. In addition, IgY has advantages over IgG in biological structure and function and is characterized by high specificity, safety, yield, and economic efficiency. This review describes the basic structure and properties of IgY, lists a variety of IgY purification methods, and outlines measures to maintain and enhance its activity, focusing on the current status of its research in immunoprevention and treatment of human diseases and outlines its importance, and finally proposes the current challenges and future research priorities of IgY in the field of biomedical research to provide a scientific basis for the wide range of applications of IgY in human health.
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