Holding Periods Research Articles

The Effect of Frequent Variations in Temperature on Egg Quality Loss During Short Holding Periods

Some commercial egg handlers apparently believe that eggs moved in and out of refrigeration deteriorate more rapidly than eggs held at a relatively constant temperature. In a recent survey of grocery stores in Washington, the managers of stores where eggs were not refrigerated have frequently expressed an opinion that extremes in temperature during short time storage contributed to a more rapid deterioration of egg quality.Otte et al. (1950) reported that eggs removed from storage and thereafter held at different temperatures followed the same pattern of decline in quality, regardless of the length of time they had been held in storage. Some of the eggs were stored as long as 45 weeks at 30 degrees F. before the quality measurements at higher temperatures were made.The object of the study reported here was to determine whether or not eggs changed frequently from one temperature to another during short time holding .