Vacuum and Modified Atmosphere Packaging as Alternatives to Refrigerated Storage of Table Eggs

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of vacuum packaging (VP) and modified atmosphere packaging containing 70% CO2/30% N2 (MAP70/30) or 30% CO2/70% N2 (MAP30/70) on selected quality parameters of table eggs stored for 28 days at 20 °C. The effectiveness of both packaging methods was compared with unpacked eggs stored at 4 °C (CF) and 20 °C (CR). Egg quality testing included measuring weight loss, specific gravity, air cell depth, and thick albumen height. Haugh units (HU) were calculated from these measurements, while pH and albumen color parameters were also determined. Based on the results obtained, it was found that VP and MAP can effectively reduce the deterioration of egg quality during 28 days of storage at 20 °C, comparable to the effects of refrigeration. When compared to unpacked eggs stored under the same conditions (CR), eggs stored under VP and MAP exhibited significantly lower weight loss, higher specific gravity, shallower air cell depth, lower albumen pH, and greater thick albumen height (p ≤ 0.05). VP and MAP30/70 eggs consistently met the USA quality requirements for Grade A eggs (HU ≥ 60) throughout storage, similar to CF eggs. However, CR eggs fell short of these requirements as early as day 14 of the study, with an HU of 49.6. The MAP70/30 formulation resulted in a greater reduction in albumen pH compared to MAP30/70, with values of 6.99 and 7.12, respectively, on day 28 of storage. In packages with higher CO2 absorption, the eggs tested showed lower thick albumen height and Haugh unit (HU) values. As a result, the MAP70/30 eggs did not meet the grade A quality standard (HU 53.9) by day 28. Both vacuum packaging and modified atmosphere packaging caused significant (p ≤ 0.05) changes in albumen color (ΔE > 3.5), observed in MAP30/70 eggs as early as day 7 of storage and in VP and MAP70/30 eggs on day 14.