Effect of Storage Conditions on Albumen pH and Subsequent Hard-Cooked Egg Peelability and Albumen Shear Strength

Three trials were conducted to study the effects of storage conditions on albumen pH, hard-cooked egg peelability, and cooked albumen shear strength. The storage conditions were 4 C, 24 C (ambient and flowing air), and 38 C. The shear strength and ease of peeling of hard-cooked eggs was dependent on the elapsed time, air movement, and temperature of storage. The pH of the raw egg albumen was a good predictor of the ease of peeling, with a pH above 8.9 yielding easy-to-peel eggs. The warmer the storage temperature, the faster the pH of the eggs increased. One day at 38 C, 3 days at 24 C, and 5 days at 4 C were the minimum lengths of time required to produce easy-to-peel eggs. For 4 C and 24 C treatments, the pH reached stable, temperature-dependent values after 6 days.