ScienceDaily reports in an article entitled Incredible, Hypoallergenic Egg: New Process to Help Egg-Allergy Sufferers that German and Swiss chemists have developed a new process that greatly reduces allergens in eggs.

Food allergies have been increasingly on the rise in recent years, especially among children. Egg allergies are one of the most common food allergies in infants and children.

Egg prodcuts are widely used in a broad range of processed foods and traditional recipes, so those with egg allergies are not only unable to eat eggs, but also have to be vigilant about what foods may contain egg products and avoid them.

Although previous attempts have been made to reduce allergens in eggs, this new method successfully uses high heat and enzymes to break down eggs' main allergens. The resulting treated egg was 100 times less allergenic than an untreated raw egg. Flavor and texture are not significantly altered.

The study, ‘In Vitro Determination of the Allergenic Potential of Technologically Altered Hen's Egg,’ will come out in the March issue of the American Chemical Society's Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.