The Agriculture Ministry is worried that chicken coops where bird flu has been identified could infect residents of nearby communities, the ministry reported Saturday.

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An outbreak of the bird flu was also found at a farm in the southern Golan Heights containing roughly 17,000 turkeys, The Jerusalem Post reported.

The ministry's veterinary services placed the farm under quarantine.

"We are in a war against a virus that may not be visible but is deadly to birds and can be contagious to humans as well," said Agriculture Minister Oded Forer.

"Although cases of infection in humans are rare, they are extremely fatal, with about 50% mortality in humans who have been infected with the disease," Forer said.

In addition to the risk of the bird flu being transmitted to humans, the country could also face a major egg shortage as infected laying hens are destroyed.

Forer has issued instructions to prevent the outbreak from spreading, and to lift quotas on the import of eggs.

On Thursday, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority reported that one in five wild cranes living or migrating through Israel are infected with bird flu.

So far, about 100 birds have died in the outbreak, according to The Jerusalem Post. Authorities expect to remove 25 to 30 tons of carcasses, The Times of Israel reported.

Some 100,000 cranes visit northern Israel's Hula Valley annually. Many stay in the country until early March, then they fly north to nest.

Inspectors are sweeping the Hula Valley for evidence of the virus and searching water bodies in neighboring valleys.

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Israeli foodtech company ChickP Ltd.'s chickpea isolate can replace eggs in mayonnaise, the company announced Tuesday.

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The Rehovot-based startup has teamed with select food companies to help formulate egg-free recipes, including a creamy mayonnaise substitute and salad dressings, which it describes as having the flavor, appearance, and functionality of counterparts with real egg.

The chickpea's ability to function like eggs has been gaining traction among the global vegan and egg allergic communities for years. Following a turning point revelation by vegan foodie Goose Wohlt in 2014, many have been fervently embracing the practice of using aquafaba – the starchy liquid from tinned beans – to whip up creams for meringues, macaroons, mousses, and savory delicacies as well as mayonnaise, creamy dressings, and cheese substitutes.

ChickP reports that the pilots of its chickpea isolate substitute that one formulation is now going into large-scale pilot production, and that producers of plant-based foods are turning to the ChickP isolate as a clean-label emulsifier.

"The discovery of the chickpea aquafaba effect has been a culinary game-changer for many vegans," noted ChickP CEO Ron Klein.

"The downside is that it still doesn't present a viable egg substitute in nutritional terms, as it contains only a fraction of the protein of an egg. We took the aquafaba concept a leap further and derived that same desired effect from the body of the nutrient dense chickpea isolate," Klein added.

"ChickP isolate presents a highly nutritious clean-label, plant-based solution to replicating the role of the egg yolk in mayonnaise formulations," says Itay Dana, vice president of Sales and Business Development for ChickP.

"Our isolate demonstrates superior foaming capabilities due to its high solubility and smooth texture and possesses minimal off-notes. This allows us to tailor mayo recipes to the customers' desired requirements and produce a truly creamy product that is visually and organoleptically appealing, without the use of synthetic thickening, texturizing, or masking agents."

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An Israel Antiquities Authority archaeological excavation in Yavne has turned up an intact 1,000-year-old chicken egg – one of only a few existing the world, the IAA reported Wednesday.

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Like many intriguing finds, the unbroken egg was dug up as part of standard archaeological work ahead of construction of a new residential project in Yavne and was found lying in a sewage ditch that dates back approximately 1,000 years to the Islamic period.

Dr. Lee Perry Gal, an expert in fowl in the ancient world, explained that fragments of eggshells have been found at some of the oldest sites in Israel, such as the City of David, Caesarea, and Apollonia, almost no intact eggs have been discovered due to their fragility.

"Even by international standards, this is an extremely rare find," Gal said.

"Very rarely, we find whole ancient ostrich eggs, which have been preserved due to their thicker shells," Gal added.

Ella Nagorsky, another archaeologist with the IAA, said that "Even today, eggs barely survive in supermarket cartons. It's amazing to think that this is a 1,000-year-old discovery. It appears that the unique preservation of the eggs is the result of the conditions that surrounded it for hundreds of years – a soft bottom to the sewage ditch, which apparently included soft human waste that protected [the egg]."

Domesticated fowl were raised in the Land of Israel as early as 2,300 years ago. The Islamic Period, starting from the seventh century CE, saw a notable decline in the percentage of pig bones in the region as a result of the Islamic prohibition against consuming pork.

"Families looked for a substitute protein available from small animals that did not require preservation or cooling, and found it in fowl and eggs," Gal explained.

Unfortunately, Gal added, a small crack in the bottom of the egg had allowed most of its contents to leak out, leaving only trace amounts of the white, which had been saved for future DNA analysis.

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Soos Technology, an Israeli agro-tech startup that has developed AI-driven software to change the sexes of chickens, resulting in more females for laying, has been declared the $1 million grand prize winner of Round 2 of the Grow-NY global food and agriculture business competition.

Soos' patented technology mitigates the controversial practice of male-chick culling by transforming male chickens into egg-laying females using high-tech soundwaves and vibration – a noninvasive and nonchemical solution.

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Yael Alter, CEO of Soos Technology said, "With our Grow-NY prize money, we plan to create over twenty high-paying research and engineering jobs in the next two years, by building the NY Poultry Research Hub, which will connect academic research with poultry startups and corporates, to commercialize validated research. We are thrilled to put down roots in the Grow-NY region."

Over 260 applicants entered this year's Grow-NY competition. The top 20 finalists submitted their pitches virtually, due to the COVID pandemic.

"I want to congratulate all the companies that took place in the second round of our Grow-NY Competition," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

"The innovations these companies have helped drive are creating a lasting economic impact on New York's agribusiness as we continue our work to build our economy back better. The Grow-NY targeted investment will not only help these companies continue to innovate, but will further support New York state's regional economies by drawing even more worldwide attention to our globally renowned food and agriculture industry."

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