IgY isolation from a watery by-product obtained from an egg yolk fractionation process

Abstract

The possibility of recovering IgY from a watery by-product produced during an egg yolk fractionation process was evaluated. The protocol employed for the extraction of IgY was the polyethylene glycol precipitation method. Sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) was carried out to confirm the presence of IgY at the different steps of the IgY purification process. Finally, the amount of IgY obtained was quantified by means of anion exchange chromatography. Native egg yolk was employed as IgY reference source, and results showed that the by-product could be at least as suitable as egg yolk as an IgY source. Additionally, the use of the by-product as a source of biotechnological compounds, such as IgY, leads to an increase in the value added during the egg yolk fractionation process.