dry wash eggs completely before packing them.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\negg washing can reduce the number of microorganisms on the shell of an egg. egg washing does have its risks, however, if not done properly. in an early egg survey in hawaii (1991), of the 106 dozen eggs tested for salmonella, 10 cartons were positive and seven of the ten were traced back to a processor with a faulty egg-washing process. in addition, washing eggs using immersion-type washers is not allowed in commercial egg-processing facilities in the u.s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
assuming that you are given a choice in your state, what should you do? recent research from north carolina state university poultry science department would strongly recommend washing eggs. regardless of the production system, an egg that appears clean will still have bacteria on the shell (reported as the number of colony-forming units growing from a swab of the surface; the higher the number, the more bacteria on the eggshell). these bacteria include many types, of which salmonella is only one. unwashed clean eggs were found to have log(10)4,5 colony-forming units. this can be reduced to log(10)0.5 after proper washing. by comparison, unwashed eggs with fecal material will have log(10)9.5 colony-forming units, which have the load reduced to only log(10)4.5 with proper washing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
for a small layer flock, egg washing does not need to be as extensive as that recommended for larger commercial operations. this first recommendation, however, holds true for all egg operations, regardless of size: do not use eggs that are extensively dirty. eggs should be washed before they are put in the refrigerator, with running water (no immersion) that is warmer than the temperature of the egg. use a brush if necessary. if detergent is used, rinse the eggs. dry the eggs completely before packing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
refrigeration – important or not<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
in the united states, all eggs must be stored at or less than 45\u00b0f shortly after being laid and throughout the entire distribution system. as a result, you will find eggs in refrigerated displays, often near the milk and other dairy products. in many european countries, however, eggs are typically sold on an unrefrigerated shelf, often near the bakery supplies. why the dramatic differences? eggs are not refrigerated in europe because of the concern for condensation that can form on eggs when they go from cold to warm environments as would occur when eggs are taken from a refrigerated display and transported home in a warm car. this condensation was speculated to facilitate the growth of bacteria on the shell, increasing the probability of bacteria making their way into the egg. the rules, however, stress that eggs should not be refrigerated before the sale to the final customer. however, there is no research to support this position. recent research has shown that condensation, or ‘sweating,’ on eggs has no influence on the internal microbial population of properly washed eggs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
in europe, it is realized that eggs should be kept cool. the chartered institute of building services engineers requires that supermarket temperatures should be 66.2 to 69.8\u00b0f in the winger and 69.8 to 73.4\u00b0f in the summer. room temperature is considered to be between 68 to 77\u00b0f. britain recommends that once eggs are taken home, they should be kept at less than 68\u00b0f. this is considerably higher than the 45\u00b0f required in the united states, possibly because britain requires vaccination against salmonella enteritidis<\/em>, so it considers a lower storage temperature acceptable.<\/p>\n\n\n\nsalmonellae reach the inside of the egg in two ways. the contamination of the shell is one way, but salmonella enteritidis<\/em> can settle in the reproductive tract and be shed with the eggs. because of britain’s vaccination requirement against s. enteritidis<\/em>, the likelihood of contaminating the eggs is considerably less. britain estimates that it costs 14\u00a2 per hen to vaccinate a flock. if each hen lays about 260 eggs, that works out to a 0.05\u00a2\/egg or 0.65\u00a2\/dozen.<\/p>\n\n\n\nstorage conditions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
eggs should be stored in a clean carton on a shelf in the refrigerator. placing them in the door opens them to frequent changes in temperatures and the possibility of damage as the door is opened and closed throughout the day. it is also best the eggs be in the carton large end up. when storing with the small end up, the yolk tends to get stuck in the small end and will break when the eggs is cracked open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
references<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
brant, a.w. and p.b. starr. 1962. some physical factors related to egg spoilage. poultry science 41(5):1468-1473.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
hutchinson, m.l., j. griffins, a. walker, a. moore, c. burton, and n. sparks. 2003. washing table eggs: a review of the scientific and engineering issues. world’s poultry science journal 59:233-248.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
written by: dr. jacquie jacob, university of kentucky eggs are a versatile and economical source of important nutrients, making them a great addition to any menu. like any food of animal origin, however, eggs and egg products must be handled carefully. the cartons of all eggs sold in the united states must contain the following … <\/p>\n
continue reading “safe handling of eggs from small and backyard flocks”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":203,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1573","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"\/\/www.bkpromos.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1573","targethints":{"allow":["get"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"\/\/www.bkpromos.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"\/\/www.bkpromos.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/\/www.bkpromos.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/\/www.bkpromos.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1573"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"\/\/www.bkpromos.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2781,"href":"\/\/www.bkpromos.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1573\/revisions\/2781"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/\/www.bkpromos.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"\/\/www.bkpromos.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}