Animal Science and Food Technology

Assessment of the toxicity of modified dried egg white

Ihor Germanskyi, Oksana Pylypchuk*

pilipchuk_os@ukr.net

Download article
Abstract

The relevance of this study stems from the need to develop safe and functionally effective protein carriers for the immobilisation of biologically active substances and microorganisms, which show promise for use in animal husbandry, the food industry and biotechnology. The aim of the study was to assess the toxicological properties of modified dried egg white by determining its acute toxicity, its effect on the haematological, biochemical and antioxidant parameters of the blood of laboratory animals, as well as its irritant effect on the ocular mucosa. The study utilised toxicological, clinical, haematological, biochemical and statistical research methods. The acute toxicity of modified dried egg white was investigated following intragastric administration to white mice at doses ranging from 100 to 5,000 mg/kg body weight, and its irritant effect on the ocular mucosa of California rabbits was assessed. It was found that even at the maximum dose of 5,000 mg/kg, no fatalities were observed, and short-term manifestations of depression and diarrhoea were transient and resolved completely without further intervention. Haematological, biochemical and antioxidant blood parameters were analysed and found to remain within physiological norms: at a dose of 2,000 mg/kg, haemoglobin concentration was 132 g/L, erythrocyte count was 5.7 × 10¹²/dm³, total protein – 65.4 g/dm³, glucose concentration – 5.4 mmol/dm³, and total thiol groups – 16.3 µg/cm³; whereas at the maximum dose of 5,000 mg/kg, total protein reached 67.3 g/dm³, AST activity – 0.93 μmol/h/mL, ALT – 1.04 μmol/h/mL, and glucose concentration – 6.0 mmol/dm³, all within the physiological range. When assessing the irritant effect on the mucous membrane of the rabbits’ eyes, only mild, transient clinical manifestations were observed, with no damage to the iris; whilst haematological, biochemical and antioxidant parameters also corresponded to physiological values, confirming the absence of haemotoxic, hepatotoxic, metabolic and pronounced oxidative effects of the modified dry egg white. The practical value of this work lies in the potential to use the results obtained to develop and implement safe protein carriers for biologically active substances and microorganisms in animal husbandry, the food industry, biotechnology and scientific research

Keywords

protein carrier; immobilisation; haematological parameters; biochemical parameters; laboratory animals; biotechnology

Suggested citation
Germanskyi, I., & Pylypchuk, O. (2026). Assessment of the toxicity of modified dried egg white. Animal Science and Food Technology, 17(2), 50-66. https://doi.org/10.31548/animal.2.2026.50
References
  1. Abeyrathne, E.D.N.S., Lee, H.Y., & Ahn, D.U. (2013). Egg white proteins and their potential use in food processing or as nutraceutical and pharmaceutical agents: A review. Poultry Science, 92(12), 3292-3299. doi: 10.3382/ps.2013-03391.
  2. Armanu, E.G., Bertoldi, S., Chrzanowski, Ł., Volf, I., Heipieper, H.J., & Eberlein, C. (2025). Benefits of immobilized bacteria in bioremediation of sites contaminated with toxic organic compounds. Microorganisms, 13(1), article number 155. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13010155.
  3. Cheng, H., Chen, W., Jiang, J., Khan, M.A., Wusigale, & Liang, L. (2023). A comprehensive review of protein-based carriers with simple structures for the co-encapsulation of bioactive agents. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 22(3), 2017-2042. doi: 10.1111/1541-4337.13139.
  4. Diener, W., & Schlede, E. (1999). Acute toxicity class methods: Alternatives to LD50/LC50 tests. ALTEX, 16(3), 129-134.
  5. Ellman, G.L. (1959). Tissue sulfhydryl groups. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, 82(1), 70-77. doi: 10.1016/0003-9861(59)90090-6.
  6. European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals Used for Experimental and Other Scientific Purposes. (1986, March). Retrieved from https://rm.coe.int/168007a67b.
  7. Fathi, M., Donsì, F., & McClements, D.J. (2018). Protein-based delivery systems for the nanoencapsulation of food ingredients. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 17(4), 920-936. doi: 10.1111/1541-4337.12360.
  8. Ferraro, C., Dattilo, M., Patitucci, F., Prete, S., Scopelliti, G., Parisi, O.I., & Puoci, F. (2024). Exploring protein-based carriers in drug delivery: A review. Pharmaceutics, 16(9), article number 1172. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16091172.
  9. ISO/IEC 17025:2017. (2017). General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. Retrieved from https://www.iso.org/standard/66912.html.
  10. Kotsiumbas, I.Ya., et al. (2006). Preclinical studies of veterinary medicinal products. Lviv: Triada Plus.
  11. Li, J., Wang, X., Chang, C., Gu, L., Su, Y., Yang, Y., Agyei, D., & Han, Q. (2024). Chicken egg white gels: Fabrication, modification, and applications in foods and oral nutraceutical delivery. Foods, 13(12), article number 1834. doi: 10.3390/foods13121834.
  12. Liu, T., Zhao, Y., Wu, N., Chen, S., Xu, M., Du, H., Yao, Y., & Tu, Y. (2024). Egg white protein-based delivery system for bioactive substances: A review. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 64(3), 617-637. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2022.2107612.
  13. Lowry, O.H., Rosebrough, N.J., Farr, A.L., & Randall, R.J. (1951). Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 193(1), 265-275.
  14. Lu, J., Peng, W., Lv, Y., Jiang, Y., Xu, B., Zhang, W., Zhou, J., Dong, W., Xin, F., & Jiang, M. (2020). Application of cell immobilization technology in microbial cocultivation systems for biochemicals production. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 59(39), 17026-17034. doi: 10.1021/acs.iecr.0c01867.
  15. Lv, X., et al. (2024). Modification effects of microorganisms and enzymes on egg components: A review. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 72(46), 25462-25480. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c08536.
  16. Ma, B., Fu, X., Zhu, P., Lu, Z., Niu, J., & Lu, F. (2024). Allergenicity, assembly, and applications of ovalbumin in egg white: A review. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 64(24), 8672-8688. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2023.2202774.
  17. Maggonage, M.H.U., Manjula, P., Ahn, D.U., Nalaka, E.D., & Abeyrathne, S. (2024). Ovalbumin: A potential functional protein. Food Science and Preservation, 31(3), 346-359. doi: 10.11002/fsp.2024.31.3.346.
  18. Martínez-López, A.L., Pangua, C., Reboredo, C., Campión, R., Morales-Gracia, J., & Irache, J.M. (2020). Protein-based nanoparticles for drug delivery purposes. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 581, article number 119289. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2020.119289.
  19. Mehrotra, T., Dev, S., Banerjee, A., Chatterjee, A., Singh, R., & Aggarwal, S. (2021). Use of immobilized bacteria for environmental bioremediation: A review. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 9(5), article number 105920. doi: 10.1016/j.jece.2021.105920.
  20. Order of the Ministry of Education and Science, Youth and Sports of Ukraine No. 249 “On Approval of the Procedure for Conducting Experiments on Animals by Scientific Institutions”. (2012, March). Retrieved from https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/z0416-12.
  21. Razi, S.M., Bagheri, H., Mohammadian, M., Mirarab-Razi, V., & Rashidinejad, A. (2024). Gelation properties of egg white proteins: A review. Food Reviews International, 40(9), 2751-2774. doi: 10.1080/87559129.2023.2279587.
  22. Reitman, S., & Frankel, S. (1957). A colorimetric method for the determination of serum glutamic oxaloacetic and glutamic pyruvic transaminases. American Journal of Clinical Pathology, 28(1), 56-63. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/28.1.56.
  23. Rostamabadi, H., Chaudhary, V., Chhikara, N., Sharma, N., Nowacka, M., Demirkesen, I., Rathnakumar, K., & Falsafi, S.R. (2023). Ovalbumin, an outstanding food hydrocolloid: Applications, technofunctional attributes, and nutritional facts: A systematic review. Food Hydrocolloids, 139, article number 108514. doi: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2023.108514.
  24. Ruan, B., et al. (2018). Immobilization of Sphingomonas sp. GY2B in polyvinyl alcohol-alginate-kaolin beads for efficient degradation of phenol against unfavorable environmental factors. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 162, 103-111. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2018.06.058.
  25. Song, L., Niu, X., Zhou, B., Xiao, Y., & Zou, H. (2022). Application of biochar-immobilized Bacillus sp. KSB7 to enhance the phytoremediation of PAHs and heavy metals in a coking plant. Chemosphere, 307, article number 136084. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136084.
  26. Su, J.F., Bai, Y.H., Huang, T.L., Wei, L., Gao, C.Y., & Wen, Q. (2020). Multifunctional modified polyvinyl alcohol: A powerful biomaterial for enhancing bioreactor performance in nitrate, Mn(II), and Cd(II) removal. Water Research, 168, article number 115152. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2019.115152.
  27. Tian, Y., Lv, X., Oh, D.-H., Kassem, J.M., Salama, M., & Fu, X. (2024). Emulsifying properties of egg proteins: Influencing factors, modification techniques, and applications. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 23(5), article number e70004. doi: 10.1111/1541-4337.70004.
  28. Tovstukha, I., Bohodist, V., Muzyka, D., Radchuk, V., Kravchenko, K., & Vlaschenko, A. (2025). Dataset on blood parameters including leukocyte profiles of Eastern European vespertilionid and rhinolophid bats. Scientific Data, 12, article number 1994. doi: 10.1038/s41597-025-06274-0.
  29. Trinder, P. (1969). Determination of blood glucose using an oxidase-peroxidase system with a non-carcinogenic chromogen. Journal of Clinical Pathology, 22(2), 158-161. doi: 10.1136/jcp.22.2.158.
  30. Wu, S., Liu, S., Li, Y., & Feng, J. (2024). Recent research advances in delivery systems based on the assembly of egg white proteins: Structure design and applications in the food industry. Food Hydrocolloids, 153, article number 110021. doi: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2024.110021.
  31. Zang, J., Zhang, Y., Pan, X., Peng, D., Tu, Y., Chen, J., Zhang, Q., Tang, D., & Yin, Z. (2023). Advances in the formation mechanism, influencing factors and applications of egg white gels: A review. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 138, 417-432. doi: 10.1016/j.tifs.2023.06.025.
  32. Zhang, Y., Guo, Y., Liu, F., & Luo, Y. (2023). Recent development of egg protein fractions and individual proteins as encapsulant materials for delivery of bioactives. Food Chemistry, 403, article number 134353. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2022.134353.
  33. Żur, J., Wojcieszyńska, D., & Guzik, U. (2016). Metabolic responses of bacterial cells to immobilization. Molecules, 21(7), article number 958. doi: 10.3390/molecules21070958.