The Effects of Humidity on Eggs and Cases

NUMEROUS experiments have been conducted with different temperature and humidity combinations in egg rooms. All authors agree that holding conditions under 60°F. are necessary to retard the loss of egg quality. The recommendations for humidity are not so well defined. Most authors agree, however, that higher humidities slow down air cell increase and loss of weight, but have little effect on albumen height as expressed in Haugh units. Jeffrey and Darago (1940) reported: “interior egg quality expressed by height of thick albumen was not affected by relative humidity of the holding room. Decline in egg quality was regulated by temperature.” Funk (1944) stated that “humidity was found to have but little or no influence on the deterioration of the albumen or yolks.” Humidity did, however, control quite largely the amount of evaporation from the eggs. High temperatures also increased evaporation. Dawson and Hall (1954) found that temperatures of 60°F. or…