When we cook an egg the proteins denature, but do not degrade. Why?

Question

 Please explain, can use diagram.

Answer 1

Denaturation: 3D shape is disrupted, but the amino acid chain stays intact.

Degradation: The peptide bonds between amino acids are actually broken, the chain is cut.

What Happens When You Cook an Egg

Egg white proteins (primarily ovalbumin) are normally folded into a specific 3D shape, held together by:

1. Hydrogen bonds
2. Hydrophobic interactions
3. Disulfide bridges
4. Van der Waals forces

When heat is applied, it adds enough kinetic energy to break these relatively weak non-covalent interactions; the protein unfolds. The long amino acid chain is still completely intact, just no longer folded neatly. The unfolded chains then tangle together, which is why cooked egg white turns from a transparent liquid into an opaque solid.