Shell Eggs and Salmonella Enteritidis in Various Seasons in Japan.

Abstract

We investigated the resistance of shell eggs stored under various conditions of temperature and storage periods in summer, autumn and winter in Japan to the growth of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE). SE (5-20 cells/egg) was inoculated at a point in the egg white near the egg yolk. In autumn and winter, stored shell eggs were more resistant to the growth of inoculated SE. Shell eggs inoculated with SE on d 0 of storage in these three seasons showed slight growth of SE at a high frequency. These results showed the necessity of controlling shell egg temperature and storage period in all seasons.