Isolation and Purification of Chicken Egg Yolk Immunoglobulins: A Review

Isolation and purification methods for immunoglobulins from hen egg yolk are reviewed. These methods consist of a removal of most of the lipoproteins in order to obtain a watersoluble protein fraction, which can be regarded as an immunoglobulin concentrate. Water dilution methods and the use of particular anionic polysaccharides seem to offer the best IgY recoveries. Moreover both can be applied easily in an industrial environment. The further purification of the immunoglobulin can be achieved using precipitation, chromatographic or filtration methods. Filtration technology seems to offer the best opportunities for industrial applications while precipitation with polyethylene glycol or salts offer a cheap and easy methodology for laboratory use.