What is albumin

Albumin is a sticky substance that is found in living things. The white of an egg is almost pure albumin (but here it is spelled albumen). There is albumin in your blood, and when you cut yourself the albumin helps make your blood clot (get hard and dry). Albumin is also present in vegetables and in milk as well as in eggs.

Although albumin dissolves in water, it coagulates (becomes solid) when it is heated. When you cook an egg you can see how the colorless, watery part of the egg becomes solid and turns white. The sticky quality of albumen is what makes it possible for you to whip or beat the white of an egg into a fluffy froth.

Because of this stickiness, albumin is used in making paste. Albumin in dry powder form will keep for a long time without spoiling. In liquid form it spoils rapidly. There is a small amount of sulfur in albumen; it gives rotten eggs their bad odor, and causes silver forks and spoons to turn black when we eat eggs with them.