Management and Holding Conditions as They Affect the Interior Quality of Eggs

THE interior quality of an egg is at its maximum at the time it is laid. This quality cannot be improved, as deterioration begins immediately. Deterioration will continue at a rate which is dependent upon several factors, two of the most important being time and temperature. Other factors contributing to the rate of quality deterioration include management and handling practices. In a study of the egg quality on thirty-eight poultry ranches in California, Lorenz and Newlon (1944) could show no significant effect on albumen height, of number of egg collections per day, use of ventilated baskets, or casing at once vs. first cooling for several hours in baskets. Egg room temperatures and frequency of delivery to market were found to be the important factors affecting egg quality. In trials conducted by Dawson and Hall (1954), the container in which eggs were gathered, cooled, or held for six days did not …