Purdue University Agricultural Extension Service Poultry Science Department
AGRICULTURE
EXPERIMENT STATION LIBRARY
Mimeo P-54 March 1956
An investigation of the effect of washing and oiling shell eggs on weight loss and change in albumen quality during 2 weeks storage at 4 humidities at each of 2 temperatures was conducted.
Conclusions reached from results of this study summarized in Tables 1 and 2 are:
(a) Weight loss of shell eggs increased with lower humidities. Loss was greater at 75°F. than at 50°F. for each of the 4 humidities irrespective of shell treatment.
(b) Oiling of shell eggs effectively reduced weight loss regardless of temperature or humidity.
(c)	Washing of eggs did not affect the weight loss significantly.
(d) The relative humidity of the storage area had no measurable effect on albumen quality expressed as Haugh units.
(e) Oiling of shell eggs resulted in a significantly higher interior quality as compared to washed eggs and non-treated eggs.
(f) The temperature of storage significantly influenced albumen quality irrespective of shell treatment or humidity.
TABLE I. Weight loss of eggs in grams as affected by shell treatment and storage conditions over a 2-week period,
(Not for Publication)
			50°F				73-76°F.				
SHELL TREATMENT	90%	70%	50%	30%	Mean	90%	70%	50%	30%	Mean	Mean Both Temp
NNne	0.35	0.58	0.75	1.03	0.68	0.76	1.36	1.83	2.48	1.61	1.15
Washed	0.31	0.53	0.7.0	0.94	0.62	0.84	1.30	1.86	2.46	1.61	1.13
Washed	0.05	0.09	0.12	0.14	0.10	0.10	0.14	0.19	0.21	0.16	0.13
and Oiled Mean Humid.	0.24	0.40	0.52	0.70	0.47	0.57	0.93	1.29	1.72	1.13	0.80
TABLE II, Haugh unit values for eggs held for 2 weeks under various described conditions .
(Not for Publication)
SHELL TREATMENT	90%	70%	50%	30%	Mean	90%	70%	50%	30%	Mean  Mean Both Temp.
										
None	66.00	66.75	65.79	65.08	65.91	39.79	37.58	41.04	39.93	39.59       52.75
Washed	65.88	65.50	66.08	64.79	65.56	38.75	41.63	40.08	40.92	40.34       52.95
Washed	72.83	74.14	73.96	73.63	73.64	63.33	65.00	63.38	63.21	63.23       68.44
and Oiled Mean per Humid	68.24	68.80	68.61	67.83	68.37	47.29	48.07	47.50	48.03	47.72       58.05
										
Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics State of Indiana, Purdue University and the United States Department of Agriculture Cooperating H. J. Reed, Director, Lafayette, Indiana Issued in furtherance of the Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914.
3/56/690