Albumen

Description

An alternate spelling for the protein mixture (albumin) found in egg whites. This spelling, albumen, is preferred by the food industry. It is also used to refer to the egg white medium in mid-19th century photographic and lithographic prints. Albumen has been, and is, used for baking, textile dyeing, clarification of wines, and as an adhesive, coating, and binder. Albumen protein will remain water soluble used unless heated to temperatures above 50C (122F) or exposed to intense or long-term light. Medicinally, it is used as an antidote for mercury poisoning.

Synonyms and Related Terms

egg white; albumin

Authority

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 22

• Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982

• Website address 1 Comment: http://amol.org.au/recollections/7/a/htm