What's new in chicken egg research and technology for human health promotion? - A review

Background: Chicken eggs are considered to be nature's perfect food. The egg white is an excellent natural source of high quality protein, which is rich in essential amino acids. The yolk is a source of antioxidants, aromatic amino acids, carotenoids, vitamins, phospholipids and proteins, which not only provide nutritional value but also act pro-health and might prevent eg. from heart diseases. In turn eggshell supplies well absorbed by the human body minerals, of which the most important is calcium. Scope and approach: In this review the new trends in chicken egg research are showed. The egg components which are the most important for human health are described. This study shows also the methods of isolating the most important health-promoting ingredients from chicken eggs. Key Findings and Conclusion: Eggs are not only a highly nutritious food, but also a rich source of diverse bioactive components also including nutraceuticals. Therefore, the current research trends focus on the new look at the egg as a material acting as health-promoting functions. Currently carried out research also concern the development of new technologies for the production of bioactive ingredients of chicken eggs.These new trends introduce a new era in egg science and technology and the future of eggs and egg ingredients remains bright.