Hydrocarbons detected in irradiated shell eggs during storage

Hydrocarbons produced by γ‐radiation of shell eggs were analyzed to determine how irradiation affects their production. Shell eggs were nonirradiated or irradiated at 0.5, 1, and 3 kGy and the stored at 5°C for 8 wk or at 30°C for 10 d. Hydrocarbons were determined by a sequential procedure of lipid extraction by hexane, Florisil column chromatography, and gas chromatography. Hydrocarbons C 15:0 , C 14:1 , C 17:0 , C 16:1 , C 17:1 , C 16:2 , C 17:2 , and C 16:3 were detected in shell eggs irradiated at 0.5 kGy or higher, but not in nonirradiated ones except C 15:0 and C 17:0 . Storage of nonirradiated or irradiated eggs had little effect on detection levels of hydrocarbons. The detection levels in all the samples irradiated at 1 and 3 kGy were in the order of C 16:2 +C 17:1 , C 15:0 +C 14:1 , C 17:2 +C 16:3 , and C 17:0 +C 16:1 from the highest to the lowest.