[Avian egg's white ovomucoid as food-allergen for human].

Hen eggs are considered as the most common reason of a food allergy in humans. The most important allergens of egg white proteins are as follows: ovomucoid, lysozyme, ovalbumin and ovomucin. Ovomucoid is a Kazal-type protease inhibitor which accounts for about 10% of avian egg white protein. It is a glycoprotein containing 20 through 25% carbohydrates. The molecule of ovomucoid is composed of three homologous domains. All avian ovomucoid domains contain six cysteines in similar location that form three intradomain disulfide bonds. Ovomucoid (Gal d1) is one of the major allergen in hen's egg. It is a glycoprotein comprising 186 amino acids, and it has a molecular weight of 28000 Da and an isoelectric point of 4.1. Ovomucoid has antibacterial activity resulting from its ability to inhibit bacterial proteolytic enzymes crucial for microbial growth. Many studies reveal that ovomucoid is a thermo stable molecule.