Effects of Storage Time on Ostrich Egg Quality

Abstract

Egg quality is considered as both internal egg quality that focuses on the egg content and external egg quality that focuses on the eggshell. This study investigated the effect of storage time on ostrich egg quality. A total of 15 ostrich eggs were obtained from Dibete Ostrich Multiplication Unit and subjected to five storage periods (0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 days) at room temperature (18-25oC). The measured parameters were egg weight, egg length, egg width, yolk weight, albumen weight, albumen height, yolk height, shell weight, egg specific gravity (ESG), egg surface area, Haugh Unit (HU), egg shape index, albumen ratio, shell ratio, yolk ratio and weight of egg contents. Results showed that storage time did not influence egg weight for eggs stored for 0, 3, and 6 days. On the other hand, storage time significantly affected egg weight for eggs stored at 9 and 12 days. The albumin ratio for egg storage duration had no significant impact on eggs held for 0, 3, or 6 days. However, the albumen ratios of eggs held for 9 and 12 days were impacted by the storage period compared to those stored for 0, 3, and 6 days. The HU for the eggs stored for 0, 3, and 6 days was not affected by storage time. On the contrary, the HU for eggs stored for 9 and 12 days was significantly impacted by storage time as the HU decreased with the prolonged storage time, compared to those stored for 0, 3, and 6 days. The results of this study suggest that ostrich eggs should not be stored for more than 6 days at ambient temperature to avoid egg quality degradation. Keywords: Cuticle, Egg quality, Ostrich eggs, Storage time