Extraction of valuable egg yolk proteins for uses as functional food ingredients

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Egg is a versatile food ingredient. The growing demand for high quality egg white protein has led to an over-supply of egg yolk that often is sold at much lower price which can affect the profitability of the egg industry as whole. Thus, there is an urgent need to diversify yolk uses for niche markets beyond its traditional applications in mayonnaise and salad dressing. Our industry partners envision that diversification of egg yolk uses will help them expand into value-added functional food market. The overall objectives are to develop an efficient method of phosvitin extraction and to explore its potential applications as a functional food ingredient against osteoporosis. Lipids in egg yolk will be removed by enzyme-assisted aqueous extraction and phosvitin will be recovered using membrane processing; dephosphorylated phosvitin (dPV), and phosvitin hydrolysate (PVH), will be prepared. Effects of different forms of phosvitin on the biological activities, and their mechanisms of action will be studied. According to Health Canada, osteoporosis affects ~1.4 million Canadians and costs over $2.3 billion to the Canadian healthcare system. Osteoporosis can lead to disfigurement, loss of mobility and independence, lowered self-esteem and, ultimately, reduced quality of life. Pharmaceutical drugs for treatment of osteoporosis however are reported to increase the risk of cancer and affect cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, developing phosvitin as a functional food ingredient might provide a better long-term solution for this growing epidemic with substantial economic and social benefits to Canada. Establishment of the role of phosvitin against osteoporosis will expand the usage of egg yolk protein and its market share, and enhance the profitability of the egg industry.