Avian Eggshell Membrane as a Novel Biomaterial: A Review

Abstract

The eggshell membrane (ESM), mainly composed of collagen-like proteins, is readily available as a waste product of the egg industry. As a novel biomaterial, ESM is attractive for its applications in the nutraceutical, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical fields. This review provides the main information about the structure and chemical composition of the ESM as well as some approaches for its isolation and solubilization. In addition, the review focuses on the role and performance of bioactive ESM-derived products in various applications, while a detailed literature survey is provided. The evaluation of the safety of ESM is also summarized. Finally, new perspectives regarding the potential of ESM as a novel biomaterial in various engineering fields are discussed. This review provides promising future directions for comprehensive application of ESM.

Waste-derived biomaterials as building blocks in the biomedical field

“…88 Regardless of the multi-directional applications of the eggshell membrane in various tissue engineering fields, the eggshell membrane is often hard to dissolve in an aqueous solution because of certain internal interactions, and also the temperature associated with the processing is crucial to avoid denaturation of collagens and other fibrous proteins (50–70 °C). 89 Moreover, the eggshell membrane is also very much prone to bacterial and fungal contamination if handled inappropriately. 89 Therefore, numerous perspectives for the processing and development of eggshell membranes have been altered and modified accordingly to find large-scale applications for the eggshell membrane in broader aspects.…”

“…89 Moreover, the eggshell membrane is also very much prone to bacterial and fungal contamination if handled inappropriately. 89 Therefore, numerous perspectives for the processing and development of eggshell membranes have been altered and modified accordingly to find large-scale applications for the eggshell membrane in broader aspects. Plant-based cellulose also suffers from several drawbacks.…”

Omics as a Window To Unravel the Dynamic Changes of Egg Components during Chicken Embryonic Development

“…The chicken eggshell, representing about 10% of the weight of the egg, is made up of the membranes and shell. The shell is a calcareous structure mainly constituting calcium carbonate (95%) with an organic matrix (3.5%), , while the eggshell membranes are found between the calcified shell and the egg white, smooth layers formed with homogeneous dense material, playing a role in the origin and function of the calcified shell. , The shell membranes (later form into CAM) also play a role for waste storage, respiration, and nutrient transport (especially calcium transport) during the late embryonic development …”

“…The shell is a calcareous structure mainly constituting calcium carbonate (95%) with an organic matrix (3.5%), 24,25 while the eggshell membranes are found between the calcified shell and the egg white, smooth layers formed with homogeneous dense material, playing a role in the origin and function of the calcified shell. 26,27 The shell membranes (later form into CAM) also play a role for waste storage, respiration, and nutrient transport (especially calcium transport) during the late embryonic development. 28 Besides the above-mentioned common structural components of the egg, the avian embryo relies on additional extraembryonic tissues to perform certain vital functions during its development, including digestion, breathing, and nutrient transport, because the embryo organs are not fully functional.…”

Development of Bioactive Glass-Collagen-Hyaluronic Acid-Polycaprolactone Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering Applications

“…The aim of this research was to develop porous scaffolds with potential applications in bone tissue regeneration, with a focus on improvement in mechanical properties, biocompatibility, ion diffusion, as well as fluid flux permeation to allow the nucleation and regrowth of bone phase by the use of compatible biomaterials and natural sources of collagen. No reports of scaffolds with these characteristics have been found in the literature to date, thus the addition of ESM in these scaffolds involves a new and safe possibility to incorporate an extracellular matrix formed with collagen-like proteins that could regulate calcitic biomineralization (Shi et al, 2021), allowing its potential application as a novel biomaterial in tissue engineering applications. In order to achieve the aims of this study, the microstructure and morphology of the obtained scaffolds were characterized by FTIR, XRD, and SEM.…”