Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 15, 2026
IgY Technology: Extraction of Chicken Antibodies from Egg Yolk by Polyethylene Glycol PEG Precipitation
Published on: May 1, 2011
Feed Components and Egg Allergenicity: Impact of Lupin and Soybean Meal Inclusion on Hen Egg Immunoreactivity
Aneta Tomczak1, Piotr Klimowicz1, Dorota Piasecka-Kwiatkowska1
1Department of Food Biochemistry and Analysis, Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, Poznan University of Life Sciences, ul. Wojska Polskiego 28, 62-623 Poznan, Poland.
Background:
Egg proteins are among the most common triggers of allergic reactions. This study aimed to evaluate whether changes in the protein source in hen diets may influence the immunoreactivity of eggs and recognize the ELISA limits in egg allergen detection.
Methods:
This study used eggs from laying hens fed various feeds (including soy and lupin). Determinations of selected allergens were performed using the immunoenzymatic ELISA method.
Results:
Studies have shown that including legumes in hens' diets reduces egg immunoreactivity. The highest detected reactivity using a commercial test for the immunoreactivity of egg albumen was twice as high in whites from hens fed the control diet, and this result was most likely due to the Gal d 1 and Gal d 3 detection. Still, the use of this diet reduced the lysozyme (Gal d 4) content in the egg white by approximately 10%. The applied method did not allow for Gal d 5 determination in the tested eggs. The results of the immunoreactivity of the studied eggs with anti-soy and anti-lupine antibodies were outside the limits of detection.
Conclusions:
The obtained results confirm that the studied allergen content in eggs can be modified by nutritional factors.
Related Concept Videos
00:42Cross-reactivity
01:10Antibody Structure
Antibodies, also known as immunoglobulins (Ig), are essential players of the adaptive immune system. These antigen-binding proteins are produced by B cells and make up 20 percent of the total blood plasma by weight. In mammals, antibodies fall into five different classes, which each elicits a different biological response upon antigen binding.
The Y-Shaped Structure of Antibodies Consists of Four Polypeptide Chains
Antibodies consist of four polypeptide chains: two identical heavy...