ABSTRACT
Low temperature preservation, shell treatment, thermostabilization, carton overwraps, controlled humidity, sealed bucket egg gathering, and combinations of these are all methods which have been used to help maintain egg quality. The breakdown of carbonic acid in the white causes the egg to change from an almost neutral media to one of the most alkaline biological fluids known. While the yolk is absorbing water from the albumen, water is also evaporating from the albumen through the shell pores. Since gases are soluble in cold liquids than warm ones, low temperatures retard the loss of carbon dioxide through the shell. When egg cases were subjected to rough handling during shipment over the normal distribution route of a supermarket chain, molded pulp tray cartoned eggs and center fold plastic foam cartons offered better protection against breakage than the other cartons. Abnormal yolks include mottling which can be caused by nicarbazin, tannic acid, gallic acid, and inheritance. Cottonseed meal can cause a brownish discoloration.
