Novel food processing technologies to reduce egg allergenicity: a review from allergen digestion to IgE-mediated responses

Abstract Eggs are a high-quality nutrient source that is widely used in food products. However, eggs are also recognized as allergenic foods that can induce severe allergic reactions, particularly in infants and children. Egg allergies are primarily caused by six egg allergens (ovomucoid, ovalbumin, ovotransferrin, lysozyme, alpha-livetin, and YGP42). During gastrointestinal digestion, the structures of egg allergens are altered by enzymatic hydrolysis and absorbed into the body. Certain absorbed allergens retain immunoglobulin E (IgE)-specific epitopes that can interact with IgE and elicit an IgE-mediated immune response. To date, various food processing technologies, including glycation, ultrasound, pulsed electric field, irradiation, high-pressure processing, and cold plasma, have been widely reported as new approaches for reducing egg allergenicity. These processing technologies can alleviate egg allergenicity by altering the linear and/or conformational epitopes, thereby decreasing IgE binding capacity. Therefore, this review examines the influence of processing technologies on egg allergenicity and how these technologies influence the allergenicity of egg allergens during gastrointestinal digestion.