ABSTRACT
Shell quality characteristics that must be considered are cleanliness, soundness, smoothness, and shape. A general recommendation is to handle shell eggs at less than 10°C at all times. Various quality attributes of the albumen and yolk are lost as an egg ages. Factors associated with extent of quality loss are time, temperature, humidity, and handling. An old method of preserving the quality of shell eggs especially for home use was storage in water glass or limewater. A quite different treatment for the preservation of shell eggs was reported by E. M. Funk in 1943. Egg-yolk quality, as determined by the Yolk Index of broken-out eggs or yolk centering and roundness by candling, changes at about the same rate as R. R. Haugh units or other measures of albumen condition. Handling is one of the most important factors affecting egg quality.
