Toxin Production in Hard‐Cooked Eggs Experimentally Inoculated with Clostridium botulinurn

Hard‐cooked eggs were cooled for 30 min in water containing concentrations of spores of Clostridium botulinum ranging from 10 1 to 10 4 spores per mL. The eggs were then air dried and incubated either aerobically, anaerobically, or in sealed plastic containers and checked daily for toxin production using the mouse bioassay. Toxin was detected inside the eggs within 2 to 7 days depending on the method of incubation. Sensory changes in toxic eggs were also recorded, and although the proteolytic strains usually produced unacceptable odors and/or appearances, these dhanges were not always detected.