Effect of storage duration and temperature on daily changes in external and internal egg quality of eggs from Dekalb White® laying hens

Abstract

Abstract A total of 330 eggs from Dekalb® White laying hens at full laying peak were collected the same day and randomly distributed into 165 eggs stored at room temperature (26. 50°C ±Â 5.48) and 165 eggs at a controlled temperature (7. 8°C ±Â 0.01) over 10 days. The daily changes in external and internal egg quality were determined using automatic equipment. Egg weight loss (EWL), albumen height (AH), and Haugh unit (HU) decreased (P = 0.001) in the eggs stored at room temperature during the experiment, where the ninth day was the limit for human consumption. Also, the yolk colour (YC) decreased (P = 0.001) from the sixth to tenth day. Even though significant changes were found at the controlled temperature (P = 0.001 for EWL, AH, HU and P = 0.045 for breaking strength), HU indicated that eggs were suitable for consumption. Likewise, a significant correlation was found for the measured indicators, emphasising AH and HU (P < 0.01), and linear regression with R 2 0.95 and 0.96 for room and controlled temperature, respectively. All indicators had a significant interaction (P = 0.001 and P = 0.004 for YC) considering the storage duration and temperature, except egg weight (P = 0.573) and breaking strength (P = 0.081). The results indicate that temperature-controlled egg storage maintains egg freshness for up to 10 days on the shelf. But, egg quality is reduced daily at room temperature stored eggs, mainly EWL, AH, and HU. Furthermore, storage duration and temperature significantly influenced the external and internal egg quality. Moreover, AH and HU have a high degree of association and statistical dependence under both storage methods.