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Table eggs are versatile foodstuffs used in various food products. Eggs are often consumed or incorporated into other food products to enhance taste and nutrition and act as an emulsifying agent. Too often the consumption of contaminated eggs leads to foodborne illnesses in people. When whole eggs or egg products come into contact with contaminated surfaces or other contaminated eggs, pathogens can spread from one egg to another. Research has been conducted to uncover ways to protect whole eggs and their products from contamination by coating the egg’s exterior with edible coatings. Mineral oil, among other edible oils, is one such oil shown to be effective in reducing the bacteria in eggs when applied to the egg’s exterior. With the average consumer becoming more aware of the chemicals used in the preservation of food, some researchers have started to explore more natural solutions to minimize the contamination of food products. The use of essential oils to prevent contamination has been studied and analyzed for their antimicrobial properties in the inhibition of the growth of foodborne pathogens. The oils used in this current study are Oregano and Clove Oil. Both oils used individually and combined compared to a positive control showed no differences (p > 0.05). Interestingly, when the oils were combined 1:1 there was a difference of 0.66 log in the survival bacterial counts compared to the positive control. However, this difference was also not significant (p > 0.05).
Daley et al. (Wed,) studied this question.