Prevention of the Green‐Gray Discoloration in Cooked Liquid Whole Eggs

The prevention of the green‐gray discoloration of cooked liquid whole eggs was studied. Acidic chelating agents were added to raw liquid whole egg samples at pH 8.50. Samples were cooked at 100°C for 20 min, held over a steam bath for 60 min, and then measured for color. Results show the following approximate optimum concentrations will prevent the discoloration at p = 0.05: acetic acid, 0.19%; citric acid, 0.17%; Na 2 EDTA, 0.029%; lactic acid, 0.27%; malic acid, 0.22%; monosodium phosphate, 0.34%; propionic acid, 0.26%; and succinic acid, 0.27%. It was also found that the average maximum pH attained by raw liquid whole eggs when stored at 3°C for 21 days was 7.93 ± 0.19. A taste panel indicated that there were no significant differences in overall acceptability with the Na 2 EDTA and the monosodium phosphate treatments. The citric acid treatment was not significantly different from the control in flavor acceptability. Other treatments were judged to be inferior to the control.