The hen egg is one of the most versatile foods. It contains high-quality proteins and lipids, as well as valuable minerals, carbohydrates, and vitamins. Eggs are also widely used in the food industry due to their multifunctional
properties (e.g., foaming, gelling, and emulsifying). Of course, the primary aim of the laying hen is not to produce high-value human food but to give rise to new life. Therefore, avian eggs contain the basic elements for life, and
many of the egg compounds have so-called biological activity. For example, almost all the albumen proteins are antimicrobial, thus protecting the developing embryo. Consequently, hen eggs are very good potential sources of raw
materials for health-promoting, so-called functional foods, as well as for the traditional food and pharmaceutical industries. In 2002 a COST action called “Multidisciplinary Hen Egg Research” was presence of functional substances, and the bioavailability of nutrients. Further chapters deal with improvements in the nutritive value of eggs,
namely, by the enrichment in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and selenium, and the implications embodied therein for daily nutrient intake and human health. The role of eggs as one of the main food allergens is also examined,
including the factors that determine the allergenic properties of egg proteins and the possibilities for making hypoallergenic egg products. 
Part III comprises 11 chapters divided in two subparts, and as in part 1 the contents of the chapters are mainly based on the experiences of the authors themselves. In particular, the use of specific bioactive egg compounds for
human beings is introduced. For example, possible application of egg white compounds with antibacterial (and perhaps also antiviral) activity, or of eggwhite-derived peptides with antihypertensive activity, with the prospect that
a functional food fortified with these peptides may be produced. Further subjects are the application (at present and in the future) of specific chicken egg yolk antibodies in human and veterinary medicine, the potency of ionbinding proteins as nutraceutical (ovoceutical), and new and interesting fields of lecithin application. The chapters of a second subpart are mainly focused on biotechnological aspects of egg use: for example, new methods for egg protein fractionation, the use of phospholipid-based liposomes/emulsions in pharmaceutics and cosmetics, the use of specific yolk components for cryoprotection of spermatozoa, and the usefulness of egg-protein-based films and coatings as biodegradable packaging material. Finally, results are presented on nanotechnology in egg research and news is given on avidin–biotin biotechnology.
The editors would like to express our thanks to all the authors who contributed their expertise and knowhow to the success of this book. Furthermore, we thank Springer for the patient and trustful cooperation during the processing and realization of the project. Finally, we hope to present an interesting and stimulating book that makes a contribution to understanding and disseminating the state of art in research on bioactive egg compounds.
founded that involves experts in different branches of egg research from 13 countries. The most important result of the COST action is the exchange of expert knowledge between the participating countries and research groups.
Since the COST action has joined together leading European scientists in egg research, the idea was born (in 2004) to write a book about latest results/concepts in bioactive egg compounds and their possible use in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. 
The book comprises 33 chapter written by authors from 13 European and non-European countries and is divided in three parts. Part I contains 17 chapters concerning the composition and the extraction of yolk, albumen, and shell compounds, respectively. We have particularly paid attention to updating the data, notably by the contribution of our own research results. We have opted to present, in the majority of cases, the structural aspect of the egg compounds, and of their interactions in relation to their function. Lastly, very recent data coming from our research regarding
minor compounds are given exposure in the chapters dealing with proteases, antiproteases, lipocalins, clusterin, etc.
In summary, this part is not an “umpteenth” presentation of the composition of the egg, but an updated document, presenting original results seen from unique angles. Part II, with 5 chapters, is concerned with the role of eggs in human nutrition. The nutritive properties of eggs are evaluated in detail, with discussions of the importance of the egg-contained macro and micronutrients, the  presence of functional substances, and the bioavailability of nutrients.
Further chapters deal with improvements in the nutritive value of eggs, namely, by the enrichment in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and selenium, and the implications embodied therein for daily nutrient intake and human
health. The role of eggs as one of the main food allergens is also examined, including the factors that determine the allergenic properties of egg proteins and the possibilities for making hypoallergenic egg products.  Part III comprises 11 chapters divided in two subparts, and as in part 1 the contents of the chapters are mainly based on the experiences of the authors themselves. In particular, the use of specific bioactive egg compounds for human beings is introduced. For example, possible application of egg white  compounds with antibacterial (and perhaps also antiviral) activity, or of egg white-derived peptides with antihypertensive activity, with the prospect that a functional food fortified with these peptides may be produced. Further subjects are the application (at present and in the future) of specific chicken egg yolk antibodies in human and veterinary medicine, the potency of ionbinding proteins as nutraceutical (ovoceutical), and new and interesting fields of lecithin application.
The chapters of a second subpart are mainly focused on biotechnological aspects of egg use: for example, new methods for egg protein fractionation, the use of phospholipid-based liposomes/emulsions in pharmaceutics and cosmetics, the use of specific yolk components for cryoprotection of spermatozoa, and the usefulness of egg-protein-based films and coatings as biodegradable packaging material. Finally, results are presented on nanotechnology in egg research and news is given on avidin–biotin biotechnology.
The editors would like to express our thanks to all the authors who contributed their expertise and knowhow to the success of this book. Furthermore, we thank Springer for the patient and trustful cooperation during the processing and realization of the project. Finally, we hope to present an interesting and stimulating book that makes a contribution to understanding and disseminating the state of art in research on bioactive egg compounds.