title: Postfertilization changes in nutritional composition and protein conformation of hen egg.
abstract: Fertilized hen egg is traditionally considered as a dietary supplement in many Asian countries. This work aimed to obtain information on the effect of fertilization on total nutritional composition of egg contents and protein conformation. Chemical analysis showed that the lipid level in fertilized egg began to decrease after day 9. Fertilized egg before day 9 was higher in essential free amino acids (EFAA) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) contents but lower in cholesterol and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) than unfertilized counterparts. Fertilized egg proteins were characterized by an increase in hydrophobicity and a decrease in electrostatic interaction. Circular dichroism analysis showed that β-sheet decreased with increasing incubation time, whereas unordered structure increased. The findings observed in this work provide a crucial basis for understanding nutritional composition and protein conformation of fertilized egg, with the potential of being utilized as an EFAA/MUFA-rich, low-cholesterol dietary supplement.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University , Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Fengfeng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nikoo
authors.forename: Zhengyu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Xueming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis*; D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000502:physiology*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000032:analysis; D004527:Egg Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D004531:Eggs / Q000032:analysis*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005306:Fertilization; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D009753:Nutritive Value; D011487:Protein Conformation
chemical_list: D004527:Egg Proteins; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D002784:Cholesterol