34 



A BACTERIOLOGICAL STUDY OF EGGS. 



TABLE 22. Commercial desiccated eggs bought on the market as food from Sept. 1, 1909, 

 to May l t 1911, and examined at the time of purchase. 



Minimum number per gram 2, 200 



Maximum number per gram 2, 100, 000. 000 



Average number per gram j 304, 062, 777 



Number of samples examined 190 



SUMMARY OF RESULTS ON DRIED EGG PRODUCTS. 



The results of the bacteriological examination of 75 samples of 

 dried imported egg albumen in Table 21 showed that 9 out of 75 

 samples, or 12 per cent, contained 1,000,000 organisms or less per 

 gram; while 46 samples, or 61.3 per cent, showed 10,000,000 or more 

 bacteria per gram. 



Considering Table 22 on commercial desiccated eggs, it will be 

 seen that 13 of the 190 samples examined, or 6.8 per cent, showed 

 1,000,000 or less organisms per gram; while 99 of the 190 samples, 

 or 52 per cent, contained 100,000,000 or more bacteria per gram. 

 These results show that more than one-half of the samples of the 

 commercial dried egg products examined, which had entered inter- 

 state commerce for food purposes, corresponded bacteriologically to 

 the grade of eggs designated "heavy spots" and "rots." It cannot 

 be concluded from this, however, that such eggs were used in these 

 products, as investigations now making by this bureau show that 

 the ordinary handling of the product may introduce as many bacteria 

 as though some rots and spots were actually included. 



GENERAL CONCLUSIONS. 



(1) Under normal conditions, strictly fresh eggs contain few if any 

 bacteria, and no appreciable numbers of B. coli in 1 cc quantities. 



(2) Frozen egg products prepared in the laboratory in Washington 

 from second-grade eggs comprising "undersized," "cracks," "dirties," 

 and "weak eggs' 7 generally show a total bacterial content-of less than 

 1,000,000 organisms per gram, while dried eggs prepared from the 

 same grades usually contain a total bacterial content of less than 

 4,000,000 organisms per gram, both kinds containing but a very 

 small number of B. coli; from a bacteriological standpoint they are 

 considered an edible product* 



