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Amino Acid Nutrition in an Egg

About 11 percent of a raw egg, by weight, is protein. Just slightly more than half the egg's protein is in the yolk. The rest is in the albumen, or egg white.

  1. Protein

    • One large raw egg contains about 6 g of protein. Cooking the egg reduces the protein content slightly but actually increases the digestibility of the protein. Eggs contain both essential and nonessential amino acids.

    Essential Aminos

    • There are eight essential amino acids that must be eaten in the diet because they are not produced in adequate amounts by the body. Eggs contain all of these essential amino acids and are therefore considered a complete protein.

    Glutamic Acid

    • Eggs contain more glutamic acid than any other type of amino acid. This is a nonessential amino acid that is nonetheless crucial in cellular metabolism and contributes to the flavor of the egg.

    Aspartic Acid

    • Eggs contain a significant quantity of aspartic acid. Though a nonessential amino acid, it is a precursor that is converted into methionine, threonine, isoleucine and lysine, all of which are essential amino acids.

    Leucine

    • The third most prevalent amino acid in eggs is leucine, an essential amino acid. Leucine is involved in forming muscles and prevents muscle deterioration.

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