The allergenicity of treated chicken egg whites (EW) was evaluated by a passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA)
test, immunoblot analysis, and a mouse model of food anaphylaxis. The results of the PCA test revealed that treatment
with 0.3% NaOH (w/v) decreased the antigenicity of native EW to 1/4. In addition, treatment with heat (121˚C, 30 min)
or 1% NaOH (w/v) decreased the antigenicity to 1/8 and combined treatment with 1% NaOH (w/v) and heat (70˚C, 15
min) decreased the antigenicity to 1/32 of that of the native EW. Immunoblot analysis revealed that the density of EW
protein bands decreased in response to heat treatment, and were almost not detectable following the combined treatment.
Finally, the murine model of EW anaphylaxis revealed that the mean score of systemic anaphylactic symptoms in EW
challenged mice was 1.85, while the mean score in mice challenged with EW that that had been subjected to the combined
treatment was only 0.20. The results of this study indicate that the most effective method of reducing EW allergenicity is
combined treatment with 1% NaOH (w/v) and heat (70˚C, 15 min).