Treatment of the shell as a way to preserve chicken eggs

Abstract

320 fresh eggs from Lohman strain laying hens were randomly distributed among eight experimental groups of 40 eggs each and stored for 28 days. The groups consisted of a combination of four coating modalities (18% potassium sorbate; mineral oil; potassium sorbate plus mineral oil and no application of coating substance), and one of two storing conditions (room temperature at approximately 28°C, and refrigeration at 2°C). Additionally ten fresh eggs were utilized to evaluate the initial conditions of the material. During a 28 days storage period eggs were assessed at seven-day intervals for weight loss, size of air cell, internal quality, and albumen pH. Refrigeration was efficient to control weight loss, air cell size and albumen pH increase maintaining until the final storage period a satisfactory internal quality, specially in eggs treated with mineral oil. This substance also delayed egg weight loss and the growth of the air cell regardless of storage temperature. All substances used in this study kept albumen pH values in the range of 8.5 to 8.6 as compared with 8.4 in the eggs at the beginning of the trial.