Allergies in children are on the rise. And the most difficult cases are allergies to common food ingredients like nuts, milk, and – eggs.

Allergy to eggs is not just about not eating eggs for breakfast. Eggs can be found in many things we eat, from bread, cake and pastries to the cookies and noodles our little ones like so much. We may not see the eggs but the allergens, the proteins that cause the allergic reaction are still there. This is a real pain to mommies with egg-allergic children because they have to check the ingredients of each and every food item they buy. And what about the logistical nightmare of birthday parties, school trips, and camps?

German researchers have recently demonstrated a technique that reduces allergens in chicken eggs and can make them 100 times less allergenic than untreated eggs. Uncooked eggs are subjected to a process similar to pasteurization of milk. The nine-step process combines enzymatic breakdown and heat-treatment that can break down the allergenic proteins in the eggs.

The process would be especially useful in reducing allergens in chicken eggs used as ingredients in manufacturing foodstuffs mentioned above without significantly affecting the taste and flavour of the finished product.

If the technique is proven to be economically and technically feasible in large scale, we might soon have noodles and cookies that are hypoallergenic concerning eggs. That would certainly make life easier for kids and mommies alike.

To help kids understand the technique better, the American Chemical Society issued a news release about the research that is specifically targeting the young audience. Check out Science for Kids: An egg-straordinary discovery to help kids with egg allergy.

Good news organic consumers! Organic eggs are found to have lower Salmonella, a bacterium that causes food poisoning worldwide, compared to non-organic ones. Recent survey by the UK Soil Association as reported by Natural Choices showed that 23.4 % of farms with caged hens were positive for Salmonella compared to 4.4 % in organic birds and 6.5 % in free-range birds. The research also showed that the highest incidence of Salmonella occurred in the farms that grow 30,000 hens or more.

Non-organic chickens are normally housed in cramped ?battery cages? containing 4 to 5 hens. Organic chickens, on the other hand, are free-ranging and are allowed to go outdoors and express their natural behavior. Non-organic chickens are also cramped in windowless sheds of factory farms, thus, they are given lots of antibiotics to protect them from diseases but weaken their natural immune system. Their dependence on antibiotics may result in the development ?super bugs? that can be dangerous to humans. This research confirms the Soil Association?s view that intensive farming may have potential threat to human health.

There are now approximately 29 million egg-laying chickens in the UK and over 70% are kept in battery cages. Salmonella food poisoning can be avoided through proper cooking of eggs and meat. However, the incidence of this bug can be avoided by buying genuine free-range or organic eggs.

Source:

Natural choices.co.uk 1 February 2008

My mother had the most creative names for my childhood meals … macaroni & cheese and tuna, malted milkshakes with raw egg, and my all-time favorite, eggs in a bowl with toast.

A breakfast comfort food I had long forgotten, I stumbled across this recipe about a year ago and have been making it semi-regularly ever since. It’s only a 50/50 hit with the kids in my house, but I like it, so I continue to make it.

For this recipe to be complete, tear up pieces of toasted & buttered bread and place in a bowl. Pour creamed eggs over toast, mix, and dig in.

Enjoy!