Egg Lysozyme Reduces Levels of Sulfites in Wine Production. (lysozyme for the fining of some wines is found in the egg whites of hens) People who are allergic to sulfites in wines can be happy to know that a mixture of lysozyme from egg whites and dimethyl decarbonate can bring down the levels of sulfites in wines. The bad news is people with an egg allergy still CAN’T drink wines fermented with egg whites.
What Are Wine Preservatives that Have Eggs
An egg white protein called lysozyme (also called muramidase) is used in wine. Lysozyme functions as a food preservative that is good for destroying some bacteria. Most people who do not have an egg allergy will find that this is a safe preservative. Unfortunately for Egg allergy people, it is still a problem.
Where is Lysozyme Found
Milk
The good news is lysozyme is naturally found in milk. When you look at the label on a product and the ingredients say lysozyme then further down lists MILK and doesn’t list EGGS then it is a product that should be safe. this is great news! You can safely drink this. Unless it is eggnog. Eggnog always has eggs so avoid it like the plague!
Meat and Poultry
Meats are susceptible to microbial spoilage. Sometimes lysozyme enzyme in eggs is used as an antibacterial and a preservative in chicken and meat. It prevents spoilage and extends the shelf life. Other great safer ways manufacturers do to preserve meat and avoid some preservatives are preservation strategies like freezing, drying, chilling, canning, fermentation, thermal processing, and synthetic antimicrobial agents.
As a side note: to prevent cross-contamination in production and distribution and extend the shelf life of meat and poultry, other synthetic antimicrobial preservatives such as benzoate, nitrates, sulfites, and sorbates have been used and can have life-threatening side effects of carcinogenic and teratogenic nature. (Teratogens are substances that can harm a developing fetus by affecting the baby’s growth and causing birth defects and possible deaths).
Fruits and Vegetables
Rice University created a liquid that is used to preserve fruits and vegetables. This preservative uses egg whites. Once the fruit or vegetable is soaked in this and dries, it turns into a fine powder on the fruit or vegetable. So fruits and vegetables will have a powdery feel. That is why it is suggested that fruits and vegetables be rinsed thoroughly. Suggestion: when you go to a restaurant make sure you ask them to rinse your salad makings just in case.
Lysozyme in Cheese
A natural preservative in mammalian milk and some cheeses is the use of lysozyme.
Lysozyme is a natural nonegg proponent of milk, and milk is an ingredient of cheese. Then as long as the package doesn’t show egg as part of the ingredient the cheese should be good for consumption. Other countries under EU laws stipulate that cheeses can only be made with three ingredients: milk, salt, and an animal rennet which is an enzyme that helps milk separate into curds and whey. A great example of this is Parmesan or Parmigiano-Reggiano as it’s called in Italy. Many mozzarellas are strictly vegetarian because of their use of microbial rennet. Gruyere cheeses are egg free. Gouda is an eggless Dutch cheese that comes from the Netherlands and has a nutty caramelly taste. The Slovak egg cheese has egg and it is sold under other names like Hrudka, Cirak, Sirok, and Sirecz.
Natural lysozyme is found in Figs
That is Wonderful for egg allergy people. Figs are high in natural sugar and low in acidity and can therefore ferment easily. Because of the sweetness, it has way less sugar than some other wines. Fig wine can be made from fresh figs or dried figs. Grape wines have a higher acidity content. Fig wine is not commercially produced because of the low demand. some stores will carry it but not all. The best way to get some fig wine is from fig farms and local wine shops. Be aware there are wines that have fig as one of the natural flavors and still use egg whites in the fining. When I go to the store to buy a bottle of wine, I double-check on my phone by calling the taproom of the winery. That is when I found out they told me Stella wines do not have eggs in them. There is a great website that can help with information on vegan wines. It is called barnivore.com
Fining of Wines
This is the process that speeds up fermentation. When a winemaker gets to this point in the process they will add one of these substances: Isinglass (groundfish bladders), casein (derived from milk), Bentonite (a type of clay), and egg whites which is where the lysozyme comes from. Because of consumers with allergies, more wineries are using Bentonite to fine the wine for filtering out the fermentation. Wines don’t have to be fined or filtered and some manufacturers don’t do either. A nice vegan-labeled wine will say “Unfiltered and Unfined” on the label. Here lies the big challenge for vegans and for consumers with egg allergies. Producers are not legally required by law to state which fining agents were used. That makes it difficult to confirm if a wine is vegan or not. There also is no international legal definition of what criteria is a vegan product. There needs to be an implementation of an act that will change the labels to make it friendlier for people with allergies like eggs, sulfites, or milk. Check out my other article on Unfined and Unfiltered Wine for a better understanding on the fining of wines.
What is Chitosan
Chitosan comes from the outer skeleton of marine crustaceans such as shellfish, crab, lobster, and shrimp. Being a fibrous substance, it has properties that help to reduce how much fat and cholesterol the body absorbs from foods. Because of its ability to fight antimicrobial activity, food spoilage takes longer. This means the shelf life of the product will take longer to spoil. Chitosan is biocompatible, biodegradable, and non-toxic. The medical manufacturing industry uses it to help blood clotting in wound care. When they process it becomes sugar. Chitosan is a polysaccharide used in wine production to clarify and is an antimicrobial and a chelating agent (helps the formation of bonding) used in sparkling wines. The winemakers found that after as little as 12 months into maturation, chitosan increased the protein and amino acid content. It also reflected a higher fruity character and aroma in sensory tests. This is good news for egg allergy people. That means if it is processed using chitosan then they are not using eggs in that type of wine.
