Short answer: Egg product is dried whole egg (yolk + white) processed for inclusion in pet food at typical 1–5 percent of formulation. Per AAFCO 2024 Official Publication ingredient definitions, "egg product" or "dried egg product" refers to the dehydrated whole egg or egg fraction (yolk, white, or yolk + white combinations) free of shell. Per FAO 2013 plant protein reference review and NRC 2006 Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats, whole egg has a PDCAAS (Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Score) approaching 1.00 — the highest possible value, used as the gold-standard reference protein for evaluating other dietary proteins. The biological value reflects (1) complete amino acid profile meeting all canine and feline essential amino acid requirements, including the carnivore-essential taurine for cats and the conditional limiting amino acids methionine, cysteine, and lysine; (2) high protein digestibility approaching 95–98 percent; and (3) absence of anti-nutritional factors that reduce bioavailability of plant proteins. Whole egg is approximately 48 percent crude protein on dry matter basis, with the protein concentrated in both yolk (high-fat, high-choline, high-lipid-soluble vitamin) and white (low-fat, high-protein albumin + globulin). Per Zeisel 2009 (Annu Rev Nutr), the yolk contributes substantial choline + phospholipid (lecithin) supporting cell membrane and neurotransmitter biochemistry. The KibbleIQ rubric treats egg product as a positive premium animal protein signal — presence in the first 8 ingredients earns incremental positive contribution alongside named-species meat protein (chicken meal, salmon meal, lamb meal).

Source and processing forms

Per AAFCO 2024 Official Publication ingredient definitions, the dried egg ingredient family includes "dried egg product" (dehydrated whole egg, yolk + white), "dried egg whites" (dehydrated egg white only, primarily ovalbumin + ovotransferrin + lysozyme), and "dried egg yolks" (dehydrated yolk only, with elevated fat and choline content relative to whole egg). The most common pet food form is dried whole egg or "egg product" capturing the complete protein + lipid profile. Some specialty formulations use dried egg whites for pure-protein-positioning formulations or dried egg yolks for high-fat puppy or active-dog formulations.

Per Powrie 1973 (Egg Sci Technol) industry processing reference and standard egg processing literature, commercial dried egg product is produced by USDA-inspected egg processing plants using shell-egg breakouts (typically eggs not meeting Grade A retail specifications — shell defects, off-color, double-yolk, but otherwise wholesome). The eggs are mechanically separated from shells, pasteurized (60–65 degrees Celsius for ~3 minutes meeting USDA Salmonella reduction standards), and spray-dried to produce powder. The pasteurization step ensures Salmonella-free finished product. Pet-food-grade egg product meets the same USDA processing standards as human-food-grade. The premium animal protein framework overlaps with our protein-meal explainer cluster (chicken meal, salmon meal, lamb meal).

PDCAAS gold-standard protein quality

Per FAO 2013 plant protein reference review and FAO/WHO/UNU 2007 amino acid scoring framework, PDCAAS (Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Score) is the standard methodology for evaluating dietary protein quality. The score combines two components: (1) the limiting essential amino acid ratio of the test protein versus a reference amino acid pattern, capped at 1.00, and (2) the protein digestibility coefficient. PDCAAS scores range from 0 (no nutritional value) to 1.00 (gold-standard reference protein meeting all essential amino acid requirements with high digestibility).

Whole egg PDCAAS approaches 1.00, the highest of any commonly available dietary protein. Cow milk casein is approximately 1.00, soy protein isolate approximately 0.91–1.00 (reaching 1.00 only with adequate methionine fortification), wheat gluten approximately 0.25 (severely lysine-limited), and most plant proteins range 0.50–0.90 reflecting essential amino acid limitations. The egg-protein gold-standard positioning makes egg product a high-value pet food ingredient supplying complete amino acid profile in concentrated form. Per NRC 2006 Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats, egg protein meets all canine and feline essential amino acid requirements including carnivore-essential taurine (cats), arginine, methionine, lysine, and the limiting branched-chain amino acids. The PDCAAS framework overlaps with our hydrolyzed protein explainer and soy protein isolate explainer.

Choline + lecithin yolk contribution

Per Zeisel 2009 (Annu Rev Nutr) choline biochemistry review and standard egg composition references, the yolk fraction of whole egg supplies substantial choline at approximately 250 mg per 100 g whole egg (one large egg supplies approximately 150 mg choline, roughly 25–30 percent of the human adult daily reference intake). Pet food egg product inclusion at 1–5 percent of formulation supplies meaningful choline contribution alongside choline chloride supplementation in commercial formulations.

Per AAFCO 2024 canine adult nutrient profile, the choline minimum is 1.36 g per kg dry matter and the feline adult minimum is 2.4 g per kg. Egg product at 5 percent inclusion supplies approximately 0.6 g choline per kg dry matter from egg alone, contributing roughly 25–40 percent of the AAFCO minimum. The yolk also supplies lecithin (phospholipid mixture) at approximately 9–11 g per 100 g egg yolk, contributing the phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylserine cell-membrane building blocks. The yolk-derived lecithin supports formulation emulsification function alongside the broader choline contribution. The choline + phospholipid framework overlaps with our choline explainer and lecithin explainer.

Lipid-soluble vitamin and lipid profile contribution

Per USDA FoodData Central whole egg composition and AAFCO 2024 nutrient framework, whole egg supplies meaningful contributions of fat-soluble vitamins (vitamin A as retinol + carotenoids, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K) and modest contributions of B-vitamins (riboflavin, vitamin B12, biotin, pantothenic acid, folate), iron, zinc, and selenium. The lipid profile is approximately 33–38 percent of whole egg dry matter, dominated by mono-unsaturated and saturated fatty acids with modest polyunsaturated content (omega-6:omega-3 ratio depends on hen feed; hens fed flaxseed or marine algae produce higher omega-3 yolk eggs).

Pasture-raised, omega-3-enriched, and Regulated Egg Product (REP) hen feed practices can modestly elevate yolk omega-3 content from approximately 35 mg per egg to 100–200 mg per egg per omega-3-enriched egg category per USDA REP definitions. Pet food formulations citing "omega-3-enriched egg" or "pasture-raised egg" reflect these specialty hen feed practices. The omega-3 framework overlaps with our omega-3 fatty acids explainer. Egg-allergen status in dogs is uncommon per ICADA 2015 (International Committee on Allergic Diseases of Animals) cutaneous adverse food reaction guidelines and Olivry 2015 (Vet Dermatol) systematic review — egg ranks behind beef, dairy, chicken, lamb, and wheat in canine adverse food reaction prevalence. Egg-sensitive dogs require avoidance of egg product and egg-derived ingredients in commercial formulations.

How KibbleIQ scores egg product

The KibbleIQ Dry Kibble Rubric treats egg product as a positive premium animal protein signal. Egg product in the first 8 ingredients of a dry-kibble formulation earns incremental positive contribution alongside named-species meat protein (chicken meal, salmon meal, lamb meal, beef meal). The rubric does not require egg product as a precondition for high scoring — many high-scoring formulations contain no egg product — but its presence positively contributes to the overall protein quality profile. Egg product in the first 3 ingredients with no animal protein source receives a more nuanced rubric treatment: the protein quality is gold-standard but the small inclusion percentage relative to whole formulation may not supply sufficient amino acid mass for canine adult maintenance.

Egg-allergen-conscious pet owners with confirmed egg-sensitive dogs should avoid formulations listing egg product, dried egg, dried egg whites, or dried egg yolks in any ingredient position. To check whether your dog’s food contains egg product or peer premium proteins, paste the ingredient list into the KibbleIQ analyzer. For peer animal protein context, see our chicken meal explainer, salmon meal explainer, lamb meal explainer, and hydrolyzed protein explainer. For choline + lecithin context, see our choline explainer and lecithin explainer. For methodology context, see our published methodology.