Ovalbumin is the predominant protein in egg white, comprising approximately 54% of the total protein. It is one of only two pure proteins that can adequately meet nutritional requirements for amino acids.

Ovalbumin was first isolated through successive salt precipitations in 1889, and the procedure was later improved in the first part of the 20th century. The standard purification procedures are labour intensive and difficult to mechanize, which meant that large-scale production of pure ovalbumin was not feasible. Neova Technologies has developed a purification procedure using chromatography techniques. As a result it is able to produce extremely pure ovalbumin in commercial volumes.

Ovalbumin is very similar in amino acid content to bovine serum albumin (BSA) (see Table below) and can be an excellent substitute for BSA.