Physical-chemical and antimicrobial properties of Egg White Protein Powder

Chicken egg white is a perfect source of proteins, lipids, minerals and vitamins. Proteins in eggs are distributed among the egg white (EW) and the yolk. EW consists of water (88%), protein (11%) and trace amounts (1%) of carbohydrates, lipids and ash (Kovacs-Nolan et al., 2005). These proteins are recognized by their functional properties such as nutrition (Abeyrathne et al., 2013; Ko & Ahn, 2008), health (KovacsNolan et al., 2005) and antimicrobial effects. The antimicrobial and antiviral effects of EWP are associated with its protein content, in particular lysozyme which is registered for use as a preservative in some foods by WHO and is referred to as a “bacteriolytic protein” (Banwart, 1983; Kovacs-Nolan et al., 2005). EWP can be hydrolyzed by various enzymes (pepsin, trypsin and α-chymotrypsin) in different conditions. These hydrolyzed products are defined as functional (bioactive) peptides which have proven beneficial (Kovacs-Nolan et al., 2005 and antimicrobial effects (Abeyrathne et al., 2013). Egg white protein powder (EWPP) is produced by drying EWP by conventional spray methods (Masters, 1991).