Biologically Active Hen Egg Components in Human Health and Disease

Abstract

It is widely recognized that eggs are more than a source of dietary nutrients, and extensive studies identifying and characterizing the biologically active components of eggs have been carried out. Numerous biological activities have now been associated with egg components, including antibacterial and antiviral activity, immunomodulatory activity, and anti-cancer activity, indicating the importance of eggs and egg components in human health, and disease prevention and treatment. The potential of some of these biologically active components has already been realized, including egg white lysozyme and avidin, and yolk IgY and lecithin, which are currently produced on an industrial scale, and have been applied for the prevention and treatment of various medical conditions. The information presented here serves to demonstrate the significant potential of biologically active egg components, for medical, nutraceutical, and food-fortification applications.

Keywords

• hen eggs
• bio-active components
• nutraceuticals
• health and disease
• functional foods