Calories in Egg, white

What makes egg so powerful?

Egg white contains over 40 distinct proteins, with ovalbumin making up roughly 54% of the total. During spray-drying—the standard industrial method—liquid egg whites are atomized into a hot air chamber, rapidly evaporating water while preserving the proteins' functional properties. One remarkable protein in egg white is lysozyme, discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1922 before his penicillin breakthrough. Lysozyme enzymatically breaks down bacterial cell walls by cleaving peptidoglycan, which is why egg whites resist bacterial spoilage far longer than yolks. This same enzyme is harvested commercially from egg whites for use as a natural food preservative, particularly in cheese production to prevent late blowing caused by Clostridium tyrobutyricum. The drying process concentrates these proteins dramatically: fresh egg white is about 88% water and only 11% protein, while the dried form exceeds 80% protein. Despite heat exposure during drying, the proteins retain their ability to form stable foams and gels when rehydrated, which is why pastry chefs and commercial bakeries rely on dried egg whites for meringues, macarons, and angel food cake where consistent foam stability is critical.