Hypoallergenic Eggs: Can Egg Allergens Be Removed, and What Can You Eat Now?

Researchers have been working on eggs that people with egg allergy can eat safely, using two very different approaches: processing eggs with heat and enzymes to break down allergens, and gene-editing hens so their eggs lack a major allergen. Both have produced promising lab results, but neither has been proven safe in clinical trials with egg-allergic people, and you can’t buy them in U.S. stores.

This guide explains what the research has achieved, why one egg protein is so hard to get rid of, and what people with egg allergy can do today. For more, see our food allergy guides.

Jump to: Quick answer · Egg allergy basics · Processed low-allergen egg · Gene-edited eggs · What you can do now · Eggs and vaccines · FAQ

Quick answer

• Not on the market yet. No hypoallergenic egg has been proven safe for people with egg allergy in clinical trials.
• Processing can cut allergenicity: a 2008 German study reduced egg’s allergenic potential to below 1/100 of the starting level in lab tests, without major changes in texture or flavor.
• Gene editing can remove ovomucoid, a heat-stable egg allergen, as shown in hens bred in Japan.
• Many children outgrow egg allergy: about 70% by age 16, according to ACAAI.
• Flu shots are fine: the CDC says people with egg allergy can get any age-appropriate flu vaccine.

Egg allergy basics

The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) estimates that as many as 2% of children are allergic to eggs, and about 70% of them outgrow it by age 16. Symptoms range from hives, rash, swelling or eczema to breathing problems, nasal and eye symptoms, and stomach upset; rarely, egg causes anaphylaxis.

Egg is one of the major food allergens that must be clearly declared on U.S. packaged food labels.

Approach 1: processing eggs to break down allergens

In a 2008 study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers at the University of Hamburg analyzed a nine-step manufacturing process that combined heat treatments and enzyme digestion of pasteurized egg, designed for convenience foods for allergic people. Lab tests showed the allergenic potential fell step by step, ending below 1/100 of the starting material, without a significant change in texture or flavor in various products.

Important limits:

• The testing was done in the lab (in vitro), not by feeding the product to egg-allergic people.
• Lower allergenic potential isn’t the same as zero; highly sensitive people could still react.
• It’s a processed ingredient for prepared foods, not a whole egg you’d cook at home.

Approach 2: gene-edited hens without ovomucoid

Ovomucoid is one of the major egg allergens and is very stable against heat and digestive enzymes, which makes it hard to remove by cooking or processing. Researchers in Japan used genome editing to create hens that lack the ovomucoid gene. A 2023 study in Food and Chemical Toxicology found their eggs contained no ovomucoid, the hens showed no evident abnormalities, and no editing vectors remained in their genomes.

That’s a food-safety step, not proof that allergic people can eat these eggs. Egg contains other allergens besides ovomucoid, and the eggs still need testing in people with egg allergy and regulatory approval before reaching shelves.

What people with egg allergy can do now

1. Avoid egg as your allergist advises and read labels on packaged foods.
2. Ask about baked egg. ACAAI notes some people with egg allergy can tolerate egg in baked goods heated for a long time at high heat, but there’s no way to predict who can. Only try it under your allergist’s guidance.
3. Get retested periodically. Since many children outgrow egg allergy, an allergist can check whether it’s still present.
4. Carry epinephrine if it’s been prescribed, and have a plan for eating out; see dining out with food allergies.

For more on how food allergies are treated today, see under-the-tongue therapy for milk allergy and research on allergy-free nuts. For holiday baking, read protecting a food-allergic child at Thanksgiving.

Eggs and vaccines

• Flu vaccine: the CDC says people with egg allergy may get any flu vaccine, egg-based or not, that’s appropriate for their age and health. Since the 2023-2024 season, extra safety measures beyond those for any vaccine are no longer recommended.
• Yellow fever vaccine: it contains egg protein, and ACAAI notes that severe egg allergy is a contraindication. Talk to an allergist before travel that requires it.

This guide is general information, not medical advice. Read our medical disclaimer.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a hypoallergenic egg?

Not one you can buy and safely eat with an egg allergy. Processed low-allergen egg and gene-edited eggs without ovomucoid exist in research, but neither has been proven safe in egg-allergic people.

Can cooking eggs remove the allergy?

Not completely. Ovomucoid is very stable against heat. Some people tolerate egg in well-baked goods, but there’s no way to predict who, so ask your allergist first.

Do children outgrow egg allergy?

Many do. ACAAI says about 70% of children with egg allergy outgrow it by age 16.

Can people with egg allergy get a flu shot?

Yes. The CDC says any age-appropriate flu vaccine is fine, with no extra precautions beyond those for anyone getting a vaccine.

What is ovomucoid?

One of the major egg allergens, found in egg white. It resists heat and digestion, which is why it’s a target for gene editing.

Sources

• Hildebrandt S, Kratzin HD, Schaller R, et al. In vitro determination of the allergenic potential of technologically altered hen’s egg. J Agric Food Chem. 2008;56(5):1727-1733.
• Ezaki R, Sakuma T, Kodama D, et al. Transcription activator-like effector nuclease-mediated deletion safely eliminates the major egg allergen ovomucoid in chickens. Food Chem Toxicol. 2023;175:113703.
• American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Egg allergy. Reviewed March 21, 2019.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Flu vaccines and people with egg allergies. September 17, 2024.

Last reviewed: October 21, 2026.