A BACTERIOLOGICAL STUDY OF SHELL, FROZEN, AND DESICCATED EGGS. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The production of the necessary quantity of food of such whole- 

 someness as to nourish properly the ninety or more million people 

 who inhabit this country is a complex problem and one which will 

 require more thought and consideration as the population continues 

 to increase. Generally speaking, when food products are produced 

 in large quantities remote from ready markets, the selling price of 

 such commodities at the point of production is usually far below 

 that obtained for the same material when sold in large cities even 

 though the quality of the goods may have deteriorated from age and 

 careless handling. 



According to the demand and the difficulties attending the ship- 

 ment and handling of perishable food products, the competition 

 between middle men often becomes very keen, and too frequently 

 inferior articles of food find their way to the consumer under the mis- 

 leading label "strictly fresh " when as a matter of fact they are not 

 fresh and should not be so designated. 



The difficulty in securing eggs of a known history for food purposes 

 is known to every housewife and purchaser of food materials. When 

 eggs are bought in the shell by the consumer, and are broken under 

 his supervision, it is possible to distinguish and separate the reason- 

 ably good eggs from the undoubtedly bad, and discard the objection- 

 able ones if so desired. On the other hand, when eggs are purchased 

 by commercial firms for purposes of freezing and drying, the indi- 

 vidual egg in the shell loses its identity when broken and mixed with 

 other eggs to be frozen or dried. Should partially decomposed eggs, 

 or certain kinds of "rots" and "spots," be added to a mixture of 

 such products, there is no method of separating the inferior and objec- 

 tionable parts from the good material. Therefore, exceedingly great 

 care should be exercised in manufacturing frozen and dried eggs 

 intended for human consumption. 



These products are largely used for cooking purposes where infe- 

 riority is concealed, as in baking cakes or making custards, omelets, 

 pies, etc.; thus it becomes, the duty of health officials to exercise very 



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