Canadian firm cracks code for viable immune health ingredient from egg yolks

By Hank Schultz

- Last updated on GMT

A Canadian company has harnessed natural proteins found in egg yolks to bring new immune support supplements to market, all based on an improved extraction technology.

IGY antibody proteins have been known to be resident in chicken egg yolks for a long time said IGY Life Sciences CEO Terry Dyck.  The proteins are also known for wide ranging immune health supporting effects. Dyck said because these proteins have been a natural part of the human diet and have broad antibacterial effects they sidestep some of the issues that surround traditional pharmaceutical antibiotic treatments such as development of drug resistant bacterial strains.

The problem up to fairly recently has been that it was difficult to extract these proteins from the hundreds of proteins in the egg yolk. Therefore, Dyck said early product developers offered powered egg yolk ingredients that had problems with smell, formulation flexibility, potency and shelf life.

Solving smell, formulation issues

“Up to this time you could almost think of the traditional IGY that’s been in the marketplace as the old dial phone analog kind of technology that was providing about 2% purity,”​ Dyck said.

“We have made the leap to the high end, digital smart phone technology by perfecting have perfected the extraction technology that gets us  50% up to 90% purity,”​ he added.

Dyck’s firm is based in Thunder Bay, ON, with a 10,000 square foot extraction facility located in Alberta.  The company claims its proprietary and patented extraction technology is environmentally friendly and the leftovers — the remains of the egg yolk — are still available for use as a food ingredient.

The company is offering the ingredient on a wholesale basis and for development partnerships.  A range of specfic IGY antibody proteins are being investigated for future pharmaceutical applications, Dyck said.

In the meantime, IGY has some finished dietary supplements on the market, including one aimed at sports nutrition with another targeting the decline of immune system performance that comes with aging.

For more on Dyck’s company and the ingredient, watch the full interview.

Related news

Show more

Related products

show more

Explore the scientific foundations of Nextida™ GC

Explore the scientific foundations of Nextida™ GC

Content provided by Rousselot | 01-Nov-2024 | White Paper

The first commercialised ingredient in the Nextida platform, a range of specific collagen peptide compositions with targeted health benefits, Nextida™...

Your Product Innovation Begins Here: Booth 4055

Your Product Innovation Begins Here: Booth 4055

Content provided by Effepharm Ltd | 22-Oct-2024 | Product Brochure

EffePharm will showcase innovative anti-aging solutions, featuring UthPeak™, world’s first self-GRAS approved NMNH, which boosts NAD+ levels by 10X. UthPeak™...

Related suppliers

Follow us

Products

View more

Webinars