Studies of the Kinetics and Mechanisms of Yolk Deterioration in Shell Eggs , ,

A PRIMARY investigation in this laboratory concerns the causes and mechanisms of the deteriorative thinning of thick egg white and the weakening of the yolk membrane which occur during the storage of shell eggs. The various theories for the deteriorations of the thick egg white have recently been outlined (Feeney, 1955). Presently, the two theories which are receiving the most attention are those involving chemical reduction (MacDonnell, Lineweaver and Feeney, 1951) and interactions between lysozyme and ovomucin (Hawthorne, 1951; Feeney, Ducay, MacDonnell and Silva, 1952; Cotterill and Winter, 1955). The influence of temperature on the rates of these deteriorations has been studied in order to obtain insight into the basic natures of the deteriorations (“protein denaturation” versus simple chemical reaction or physical change) and to help in determining whether the different deteriorations have similar mechanisms. In this report we are presenting our results on deterioration of yolk at storage temperatures …