Determination of the quality of stripe-marked and cracked eggs during storage

Knowledge and handling practices for raw hen's eggs during purchase, preparation, storage, and consumption: a cross sectional study

The study aimed to assess the hen's eggs knowledge, handling practices, and consumption among Palestinian consumers using the cross-sectional survey design. Online questionnaire was sent via social media platforms including well-known Facebook and WhatsApp groups in West bank, Gaza and Jerusalem, along with an invitation explaining the research objectives and the voluntary participation. The online questionnaire consisted of three main sections: socio demographic, knowledge and practices for hen's eggs during purchase, preparation, storage, and consumption. The items were developed based on previous literature and international guidelines for hen's eggs purchase and handling, and subjected to content validity process, followed by a pilot study to determine the reliability of the questionnaire using Cronbach's alpha test. The final data were analysed based on the dichotomous Rach model for knowledge and polytomous Rasch model for practices using Winsteps version 5.1.3. The Rasch SPSS output interval data files were used in the inferential analyses tests (one-way ANOVA test and independent samples t-test). The Rasch analysis showed that on average the participants had quite low level of knowledge of hen's eggs consumption safety, (person ability Mean 0.10 logit). The item difficulty measures ranged between + 1.65 (most difficult) and - 2.24 logit (easiest). It was not easy for the participants to endorse the items pertaining their practices in handling the hen's eggs during purchase, preparation, storage and consumption, (person ability Mean - 0.11 logit). The item difficulty measures ranged between + 2.68 logits (most difficult) to - 2.45 logit (easiest). In addition, female participants significantly outperformed males in knowledge scores; and the level of hen's eggs hygiene practices and storage during purchase depended on participants' knowledge level. The research recommended interventional programs to enhance Palestinians' awareness and knowledge about hen's eggs knowledge, handling practices, and consumption. Further quantitative and qualitative research studies were also recommended.

The shellac and shellac nanocomposite coatings on enhanced the storage stability of fresh eggs for sustainable packaging

Shellac bio-coatings can enhance to improve quality and storage stability of fresh egg qualities with improved shell strength therefore minimizing the reduction the egg losses. Shellac bio-chitosan at 3 concentrations (1 %, 4 % and 8 % w/w) and shellac-1 % montmorillonite nanocomposites were applied as biocoatings to improve storage stability. Shellac-8 % (SH-8 %) coated eggs exhibited the lowest weight loss (1.28 %), significantly. The weight loss of shellac 1 % + MMT and 4 % shellac (SH-4 %) coated eggs was similar each other and had lower weight loss than 1 % shellac (SH-1 %). The Haugh Unit (HU) of eggs with SH-8 % (63.75) had the significantly the highest HU. The SH-4 % (60.24) and SH-1 %/MMT-1 % (58.04) were similar, and the control was the lowest one. The albumin pH of SH-8 % (9.15) coated exhibited a significantly lower than SH-4 % (9.21) and SH-1 %/MMT-1 % (9.24), while the control (9.39) was the highest value at end of storage. For the shellac coated group, total soluble values of albumen reached 12.87 (initial) to 16.331 (SH-1 %), 15.96 (SH-4 %), 15.60 (SH-8 %) and 16.15 (SH-%1-MMT-1 %) at the end of storage. The RWC and foam stability of SH-8 %, SH-4 % and SH-1 % MMT-1 % were similar and higher than 1 % SH and uncoated egg samples. The rheology behaviors were maintained with increasing shellac concentration through the storage. SH-8 % biocoatings were very most effective in filling and sealing the porous in the eggshell and protecting the storage stability and enhancing the strength of the eggshell. Shellac bio-coatings acted as a tiny layer for an effective protective barrier to gas permeability for enhancing the storage stability of the fresh eggs. Higher shellac concentrations (4 and 8 %) and 1 %-MMT were enhanced the storage stability and can be vital solutions for improving shell strength, so it decreases breakage rates.

Aging-associated increased nitric oxide production is a potential cause of inferior eggshell quality produced by aged laying hens

It is important to prolong the productive life of laying hens without compromising their welfare. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to identify the cause for inferior quality egg production of aged hens by investigating the aging-associated molecular changes related to eggshell formation in the isthmic and uterine mucosae and determining whether nitric oxide plays a role in decreasing the quality of eggs produced by aged hens. Young (35 weeks old) and aged (130 weeks old) White Leghorn laying hens were used in this study to determine the effects of age on the expression of proteins related to eggshell membranes formation in the isthmus and eggshell biomineralization and nitric oxide production in the uterus. Nitric oxide synthesis during the ovulatory cycle was examined in twenty-five laying hens (46-52 weeks old) euthanized at 0, 4, 7, 16, and 24 h after oviposition. S-Nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (a nitric oxide donor) was added to the cultured isthmic and uterine mucosal cells to examine the effects of nitric oxide on the expression of genes related to eggshell membranes formation and eggshell biomineralization, respectively. The results showed that the protein abundance of collagen I and V in the isthmic mucosa and collagen V in the eggshell membranes were lower in aged hens than in young hens. The mRNA expression levels of calbindin, osteopontin, and ovocalyxin-36 and the protein abundance of calbindin and carbonic anhydrase-2 were lower in the uterine mucosa of aged hens than in that of young hens. Nitric oxide synthesis was higher in the uterine mucosa of aged hens than in that of young hens. Nitric oxide downregulated the mRNA expression levels of osteopontin and ovocalyxin-36 in cultured uterine mucosal cells. Our results indicated that the eggshell quality decreases with aging due to molecular changes in the uterine mucosa affecting the eggshell membrane formation and eggshell biomineralization. Moreover, nitric oxide overproduction may play a role in this dysfunction.

Ameliorative effects of dietary selenium against cadmium toxicity on production performance and egg quality in laying hens

In order to reveal the influences of supplemented dietary selenium (Se) on the suppressive effect of cadmium (Cd) toxicity on performance and egg properties of laying hens, the effects of co-treatment Se and Cd on the performance, egg quality, levels of amino acids and the antioxidant capacity of egg and serum were investigated. A total of 128 31-week-old laying hens were randomly distributed in four treatments, which were fed with the basic diet (0.2 mg/kg Se and 0.08 mg/kg Cd), and the basic diet with Se (1.1 mg/kg Se and 0.08 mg/kg Cd), Cd (0.2 mg/kg Se and 92.1 mg/kg Cd) and Se+Cd for 13 weeks, respectively. Hens supplemented with Cd led to an impairment on production performance and egg quality with decreased egg production (EP), egg mass (EM), feed intake (FI), eggshell color, eggshell thickness, yolk color, albumen height and haugh unit and increased the feed conversion ratio (FCR) (p < 0.05). Cd treatment decreased the contents of cysteine (Cys), histidine (His), lithium (Li), aluminum (Al), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), Se, strontium (Sr), stannum (Sn), mercury (Hg) and thallium (Tl) and increased the contents of isoleucine (Ile) and Cd (p < 0.05). Cd destroyed the egg yolk and serum redox states with the increased concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) and the decreased activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) (p < 0.05). The expression levels of ovarian apoptotic genes (protein 53, Caspase9, Cytochrome c and Bcl-2 associated X protein) increased, and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) expression decreased in the Cd group (p < 0.05). Feeding Se significantly alleviated Cd-induced toxicity on performance and egg quality. Se+Cd treatment restored the balance between oxidation and antioxidant systems and modulated the elements' homeostasis and alleviated the changes in apoptotic-related genes expression levels. Se could alleviate the Cd toxicity to laying hens and their eggs but could not counteract all negative effects of Cd.

Duck Eggshell Crack Detection by Nondestructive Sonic Measurement and Analysis

Duck eggs are a good source of essential nutrients for the human body. However, transportation, processing, and handling can easily cause cracks in the eggshells. These cracks can lead to microbial contamination, reducing the shelf life and compromising food safety. In this study, a method for the nondestructive testing of cracks in duck eggshells was developed. First, the acoustic emission signals of intact and cracked eggshells were measured, and the most significant frequency features were selected to establish a calibration curve for cracked eggshells. Logistic regression using the frequency features was then adopted to predict intact and cracked eggshells. Then, we establish a set of optimal regression models and used independent samples for verification. The overall accuracy rates of the calibration and prediction models using five frequencies of bandwidth (1500, 5000, 6000, 8500, and 10,000 Hz) were 89.7% and 87.6%, respectively. Sound measurement enables a simple and quantitative method for duck egg crack detection and classification. This nondestructive and cost-effective method can be used for duck egg quality screening and can be integrated into duck egg processing machinery.

A novel eco-friendly green approach to produce particalized eggshell membrane (PEM) for skin health applications

The eggshell membrane (ESM) is a natural bioactive material, which is increasingly utilized for various biomedical applications. However, the poor solubility of ESM limits the bioavailability of its constituents and reduces the expression of their potential bioactivity. In this study, we utilized an innovative green strategy to separate ESM from shell, and processed ESM for size reduction by cryo-grinding and homogenization to produce particalized eggshell membrane (PEM) approaching submicron dimensions, with enhanced anti-inflammatory activity and increased antimicrobial activity against skin associated pathogens. Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (log₁₀ reduction = 4.5 ± 0.3) was more sensitive to PEM as compared to Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa (log₁₀ reduction = 2.1 ± 0.3). PEM elicited a dose-dependent reduction in NO accumulation in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages, suggesting an anti-inflammatory response to ESM particles. These findings suggest that processed PEM possesses great potential as a topical ingredient in skincare applications to maintain skin health by reducing bacterial infections and inflammation.

Effects of Dietary Lycopene or Tomato Paste on Laying Performance and Serum Lipids in Laying Hens and on Malondialdehyde Content in Egg Yolk upon Storage

The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of dietary, synthetic lycopene or tomato paste on laying performance and egg qualities in laying hens, and on lipid oxidation of stored eggs. One hundred and sixty 38-week-old Hy-line Brown laying hens were randomly housed in cages (two birds per cage, five cages per replicate) equipped with nipples and a trough-type feeder and subjected to one of four experimental diets. Each treatment had four replicates. A corn and soybean meal base diet was added with or without either synthetic lycopene to contain 10 or 20 mg per kg of diet, or with 17 g of tomato paste per kg of diet. The feeding trial lasted four weeks. Feed intake did not differ between dietary treatments. Laying hens fed diets containing lycopene or tomato paste laid lighter eggs (P<0.05) compared with those fed on the control diet. Egg production was higher (P<0.05) in tomato paste-fed layers, but lower (P<0.05) in those fed on a diet containing 20 mg/kg of lycopene compared with the control diet-fed counterparts. Dietary lycopene did not affect egg quality, except for yolk color, nor did serum lipid profiles. Malondialdehyde (MDA) content in serum samples and eggs that had been stored at 24°C for four weeks was reduced (P<0.05) by lycopene or tomato paste. Adding lycopene or tomato paste into a diet of laying hens increased the incorporation of lycopene into the liver and egg yolk. Collectively, the present study shows that addition of low levels of lycopene or tomato paste into the layers' diet is an effective nutritional strategy to enhance oxidative stability of fresh eggs.