Edible eggs can deteriorate quickly after laying if not stored properly. The key factors that affect egg quality are temperature, humidity, and handling. As eggs age, chemical and microbial changes occur. The air cell enlarges, the white thins and spreads out, and the yolk shifts and flattens. Microorganisms like bacteria and mold can cause rotting. Proper storage below 4°C and 70-80% humidity helps maintain freshness. Eggs are graded based on interior and exterior quality standards.

1. Edible Eggs Abeer Abdel-naser Awad Abdel-All

13. Organisms produce pigments Type of rot Organism Black rot Proteus sp. Black rot Aeromonas liquefaciens Red rot Serratia marcescens Green rot Pseudomonase maltophilia Fluorescent green changed to pink Pseudomonase fluorescens Fluorescent green rot Pseudomonase putida Fluorescent blue rot Pseudomonase aeruginosa Yellow rot Flavobacterium Colorless Alcaligens

34. Egg grading - interior Grade B Grade A Grade AA Quality factor Over 3∕16 inch depth 3∕16 inch or less depth 1∕8 inch or less depth Air cell Weak and watery. Small (< 1/8 inch diameter) blood and meat spots may be present Clear and reasonably firm Clear and firm White Outline plainly visible, enlarged and flattened. May have clearly visible germ development but no blood. Outline fairly well defined Outline slightly defined Yolk

35. A Grade AA egg will stand tall. The yolk is firm and the area covered by the white is small. There is a large proportion of thick white to thin white. Grade A egg covers a relatively small area. The yolk is round and upstanding. The thick white is large in proportion to the thin white and stands fairly well around the yolk A Grade B egg spreads out more. The egg yolk is flattened and there is about as much (or more) thin white as thick white

36. AA Quality High AA Average AA Low AA

37. A Quality High A Average A Low A

38. B Quality High B Average B Low B

39. Practice Grade AA

40. Practice Grade AA

41. Practice Grade AA

42. Practice Grade Inedible

43. Practice Grade Inedible

44. Practice Grade Inedible

45. Practice Grade A

46. Practice Grade A

47. Practice Grade B

48. Practice Grade B

56. Individual candling

57. “ candling an egg”

58. Measuring Air Cell Depth

59. Mass candling