Experts work on cracking egg white allergy

Australian scientists believe they have cracked the problem of egg white allergies with ground-breaking new research.

Researchers from Deakin University in Geelong believe they can "switch off" the allergens in eggs that can lead to potentially fatal anaphylactic shock in thousands of children.

The team is working on isolating the four main allergens found in egg whites, then reintroducing the protein back into the egg, which should subsequently produce chickens that lay allergy-free eggs.

Producing hypoallergenic eggs would provide relief to thousands of parents, Professor Cenk Suphioglu, a Deakin University Associate, said.

"There is evidence that new parents are exposing their infants to egg products for the first time in the car parks of major children's hospitals just so they are close to medical attention," Suphioglu said.

Professor Tim Doran, who is leading the three-year research project, said, "We are not producing genetically modified chickens as part of this research. We are simply modifying the proteins within the egg whites to produce chickens which lay allergy-free eggs."

The team hopes that the allergy-free eggs will hit stores in five to 10 years.