Egg white lysozyme digestion and allergy activity in lab tests
What it found
Lab-digested egg white lysozyme kept its ability to trigger allergy responses in test tubes.
Stomach acid levels shaped how much of the protein survived gut digestion.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Allergy binding after digestion
In lab tests, digested lysozyme still bound to IgE allergy antibodies. It also kept the ability to activate basophil immune cells.
T-cell response preserved
Fragments from both stomach and gut digestion could still stimulate T-cells in lab tests using human blood cells.
Why activity remains
Some intact protein survived stomach breakdown. Other active pieces formed when enzymes cut the protein or released small linked fragments holding key allergy-triggering regions.
Other findings
Stomach acid matters
The acidity level during stomach digestion strongly affected later gut breakdown. This changed how many allergy-triggering regions were exposed.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that the acidity of stomach digestion greatly shapes how much lysozyme breaks down later in the gut.
- Their results suggest this process controls the release of fragments that may raise the allergy potential of egg white lysozyme.
How it was done
Lysozyme is a major allergen in hen eggs. The authors wanted to see which fragments form during digestion and why they still cause allergic reactions.
Scientists broke down egg white lysozyme using simulated stomach and gut digestion in lab equipment. They then tested the resulting fragments for their ability to bind allergy antibodies, activate immune cells, and stimulate blood cells.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These are lab tests using simulated digestion and isolated cells.
- They cannot show what happens inside a person eating egg products.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Alimentación (CIAL), Spain
The paper
- Title
- Immunological behavior of in vitro digested egg-white lysozyme
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Jiménez-Saiz R, Benedé S, Miralles B, López-Expósito I, Molina E, López-Fandiño R (2014). Immunological behavior of in vitro digested egg-white lysozyme. Molecular nutrition & food research. doi:10.1002/mnfr.201300442PubMed 24123796DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error