Why do eggs become rigid when cooked?

Dr.. Osama Abu Al-Rub

Do you ever think about eating a bowl of cheese-fried eggs, omelets, or a boiled egg with a little pepper, wondering why the eggs are when cooked from liquid to solid state? Does this affect its nutritional value? What are the benefits of eggs?

Cooking eggs is one of the simplest ways to prepare food, put it in boiling water to get boiled, break the egg in a frying pan with oil you get fried, whisk eggs with some delicious vegetables and less to get an omelette, at least with meat to get a large batch of proteins. Also eggs are involved in preparing many foods, such as cakes, some pastries, and sweets.

How do eggs become solid?
Eggs contain proteins that are made up of chains of amino acids. In the case of raw eggs, these strings are folded in a specific way that gives the proteins their shape and properties and thus the liquidity property of raw eggs.

When heat is applied to eggs, by boiling or frying, the heat causes a process in proteins called denaturation, in which process the structure of proteins changes.

When the egg is heated, the proteins acquire energy and vibrate the bonds between the parts of the amino acid chains. As the temperature rises, the proteins acquire enough energy to form stronger new bonds with other protein molecules, which change their properties and convert them to the solid state.

It is reported that eggs contain a wide range of beneficial nutrients, as one large egg contains many vitamins, including vitamin A, and many complex vitamins with vitamin D and vitamin E. The eggs also contain calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, selenium, sodium and zinc.

One large egg (weighing 50 grams) contains 72 calories, contains 6 grams of protein and 1.6 grams of saturated fat, one gram of polyunsaturated fat, 1.8 grams of monounsaturated fat, and 186 milligrams of cholesterol (It is recommended not to exceed 300 grams of cholesterol per day).

We note here that egg white (albedo) contains most of the protein compared to yolk (yolk), and is almost fat-free, and contains only 1% of egg fat, which is also free of cholesterol, and low calories.

What are the benefits of cooking eggs?
1- Cooking eggs makes it safer to eat, as eating raw eggs threatens the risk of salmonella poisoning, and therefore eggs must be heated to kill any bacteria.

2- Cooking eggs makes the protein easier to digest. For example, one study found that the human body can use 91% of the protein in cooked eggs, compared to only 51% in raw eggs. Heat is thought to cause structural changes in egg proteins.

3- By cooking eggs, you can add more flavors, such as mixing them with vegetables to get the omelette or adding cheese.

studies
A medical study published in 2018 showed that eating one egg per day can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The study was conducted by researchers from China and the United Kingdom, and included data analysis of more than 400 thousand adults in China between the ages of 30 and 79 years, and the study was published in the journal "The Heart".

The researchers found that those who consumed an egg daily had a 26% lower risk of hemorrhagic stroke (which occurs when there is bleeding in or around the brain).

Egg eaters also had an 18% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.

The researchers said the results indicated that daily egg consumption was associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

A study conducted in Iran in 2015 showed that eggs help the liver to prevent the production of harmful health cholesterol, which causes blood vessel blockage and many diseases, and also contributes to the production of beneficial cholesterol, which improves the condition of blood vessels and the heart.