Relationship Between Temperature and Carbon Dioxide Loss from Shell Eggs

REFRIGERATION has long been the primary method of retaining market quality in shell eggs. The fundamental reasons for employing lower temperatures have not been adequately elucidated. This lack of information has indirectly resulted in the development of practices which are designed mainly to lower the temperature without adequate consideration for other effective means of retaining specific quality attributes. Gathering and holding eggs in baskets affords rapid cooling. However, excessive ventilation before, during, and after cooling fosters the loss of carbon dioxide (CO2). Cotterill and Gardner (1957) compared the results of gathering and holding eggs at 58°, 74°, and 94°F. in baskets and in sealed buckets. The buckets contained a desiccant to retard microbial growth. They reported that eggs gathered in buckets had higher candled scores, higher Haugh units, lower pH, and comparable shell surface bacterial counts, except when stored at 94°F. for periods longer than four days. Storage temperature had . . .