Influence of the Storage Period on the Quality Characteristics of Table Eggs

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of the storage period on the quality characteristics of Bovans Brown table eggs. Eggs from 47-week-old hens were sampled on the day of laying and stored in a refrigerator (4°C) for periods of 7, 14, 21, and 28 days. Measurements were performed for each storage period relative to the most important quality parameters of eggs. The following egg parameters were evaluated: weight, weight loss, shell breaking force, albumen height, Haugh units and yolk color. The results obtained show that the albumen height and Haugh unit (HU) were affected by the storage period and are of immense importance. The following parameters were found to be significantly influenced by different storage periods: weight loss (P<0.05), albumen height (P<0.05) and Haugh unit (P<0.01). Rapid reductions in the albumen height were recorded during 7, 14, 21 and 28 days of storage (ranging from 6.90 mm to 6.07mm). Moreover, the Haugh unit values also decreased during storage from 81.27 to 74.89 at 4°C. The present results suggest that the albumen height and the Haugh unit are the most important parameters of egg quality, obtained from commercial layers raised in battery cages, affected by a storage period of 4 weeks.