Egg, Food allergens - 14/10/2019

Foods to avoid if you have an egg allergy

Egg allergy particularly affects children. Allergy sufferers must not only avoid fried or scrambled eggs, but also many other foods. Here’s where allergic people must be careful.

People suffering from egg allergy usually must avoid eggs in any form. This often is a challenge as eggs can be used in a variety of dishes. They are not only an ingredient of pancakes, tiramisu or eggnog, but are also contained in many foods where one would not necessarily expect to find them. Because of their technological characteristics, eggs are a popular additive in the food industry and are used in a variety of processed foods. For example, they serve as a binding agent in noodles and as an emulsifier in sauces and dressings. They add fluffiness to biscuits and meringues, and the carotenoids provide a delicate yellow color. The egg white can be used for the fining of wine, and the lysozyme (E 1105) from the hen’s egg serves as a preservative due to its antimicrobial effect.

The following table gives an overview of foods that may contain egg as a hidden allergen:

Function	Food
Emulsifier, stabilizer	Mayonnaise, remoulade, spreads, spice pastes, dressings, sauces, soups, mousses, puddings, chocolates, nougat, cookies, pastries, ready meals, specialty salads, baking mixtures, instant drinks, beverage powder, baby food
Binding agent	Pasta, bakery products, cookies, dumplings, potato products, breadcrumb coatings, sauces, pastries, meat products, sausages, ice cream
Fluffing agent, foam formation	Soufflés, meringues, biscuits, cotton candy, marshmallows, cocktails
Preservative	Cheese, beer
Taste, color	Cake, pastries, bread, rolls, desserts, soups, sauces
Fining agent, clarification	Wine, liqueur, fruit juice, broth, aspic

Not only foods are a potential risk for allergy sufferers: Some vaccines, e.g. against influenza, yellow fever and TBE, are produced from chicken embryos and may contain egg components. In addition, eggs are used in some drugs (e.g. lozenges) and cosmetics (e.g. shampoos).

Further information on egg allergy:

• Egg allergy: children are particularly affected
• Product portfolio for the analysis of egg in food