Egg yolk uses and ways to increase its value
What it found
Egg yolk can be split into proteins and fats for use in foods, medicines and cosmetics.
This could help balance the high demand for egg whites with the low demand for yolks.
What they found
Splitting yolk into parts
Egg yolk can be broken down into separate pieces to make new food ingredients. These pieces can be used across different types of food processing.
Proteins and fats from yolk
Functional proteins and fats can be pulled out of egg yolk. They can be used as they are or turned into smaller active pieces for medicines, supplements and cosmetics.
Balancing egg demand
Demand for egg white products is very high while demand for yolk is low. Finding more uses for yolk could help raise overall egg consumption in the United States.
What the authors conclude
- They suggest that splitting egg yolk into useful parts can broaden how it is used.
- They say scaling up production methods is vital for making these ideas practical.
- The authors point to future directions for getting the best use from egg yolk components.
How it was done
In the United States, people buy far more egg white products than egg yolk products because of negative views about yolk. This has caused processed egg sales to level off in recent years.
The authors looked at how egg yolk is currently used and how it might be separated into useful parts. They examined methods for pulling out proteins and fats from yolk. They also explored turning those parts into functional ingredients for food, medicine and skin care.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This work focuses on manufacturing and product development rather than health effects in people or animals.
- It does not measure whether eating egg yolk or its separated parts changes health outcomes.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Natl. Natural Science Foundation of China; Natl. Key Research and Development Program of China (from the PubMed record).
- Authors work at
- College of Food Science & Technology, China
The paper
- Title
- How Can the Value and Use of Egg Yolk Be Increased?
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Huang X, Ahn DU (2019). How Can the Value and Use of Egg Yolk Be Increased?. Journal of food science. doi:10.1111/1750-3841.14430PubMed 30620779DOI
Summary written 1 Oct 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error