Engineered a novel polyoxometalates-based composite platform with pH-responsive selectivity for efficient and...

This study aimed to engineer a novel polyoxometalates composite for efficient and controllable separation of ovalbumin (Ova) and lysozyme (Lys) from complex egg white sample. Here, we synthesized the SbW₉@PEI composite via liquid-phase method with pH-responsive selectivity. At pH 4.0, the composite (2 mg) achieved 96 % adsorption efficiency for Ova (100 μg mL^-1, 1 mL), with the adsorption capacity of 266.5 mg g^-1. At pH 11.0, it exhibited 100 % adsorption efficiency for Lys (100 μg mL^-1, 1 mL), with the adsorption capacity of 366.3 mg g^-1. This method was successfully applied to the selective isolation of Ova and Lys from egg white, with the separated proteins being confirmed to have high purity. Notably, compared with untreated egg white, 10 and 40 low-abundance proteins were respectively identified through the separation of Ova and Lys. This study holds significant importance for the fields of functional food development, and food safety, et al.