PREPARATION OF FROZEN AND DRIED EGGS. 13 



It is evident from these results that a large percentage of soft eggs contain compar- 

 atively few organisms and a comparatively small amount of loosely bound nitrogen, 

 and also that others are markedly infected and deteriorated. It is quite probable 

 that infected soft eggs are incipient forms of sour eggs, white rots, etc., which have 

 not yet acquired their identifying characteristics. 



SECOND-GRADE FROZEN EGGS. 



The second-grade product was prepared from eggs showing incipient deterioration 

 by the senses and from drippings from the breaking knife. By far the greatest number 

 of the samples of these eggs showed, as given in Table F-V (Appendix, p. 84), decided 

 infection and marked deterioration. The average bacterial count was 35,000,000 per 

 gram; and the average amount of ammoniacal nitrogen, 0.108 per cent on the dry- 

 basis. These results are considerably higher than those found in any of the first- 

 grade products (see Tables 11 and 12). 



Samples were taken of some of the component eggs of the second -grade product. 

 The results are correlated in Table F-XII (Appendix, p. 92). Both the incipient sour 

 eggs and the eggs with white beginning to turn green contained millions of bacteria 

 and a comparatively large amount of ammoniacal nitrogen. These data show very 

 plainly that it is impossible to detect by the senses sour eggs or eggs with green 

 whites until the bacteria have developed in sufficient numbers to cause a partial 

 decomposition of the egg material. Cracked eggs with moldy shells, even though the 

 appearance aud odor of their contents were normal, frequently contained many organ- 

 isms. The amount of ammoniacal nitrogen was, however, not excessive. 



The bacterial count of nine samples of drippings from breaking knives and trays 

 varied from 10,000 to 13,000,000. There were between 100 and 100,000 5. coli per 

 gram in the different samples. This drip contributed fewer organisms to the second- 

 grade product than did the eggs showing incipient deterioration by the senses. 



The wide variation of 71.79 to 84.60 per cent of moisture was due to the difference 

 in the amount of drippings or white present. 



These results show very conclusively that incipient forms of sour eggs, eggs with 

 green whites, etc., are not only heavily infected but are distinctly decomposed. The 

 laboratory studies of the second-grade product coincide with the decision of the senses 

 as applied to the eggs constituting it, namely, that it is unfit for food purposes. 



TANNERS' EGGS. 



Tanners' eggs are prepared from the discards from the candling and breaking 

 room minus the eggs with a bad odor, or, in other words, all eggs admittedly unfit for 

 food except those with a repugnant odor. The latter are not included because they 

 would be disagreeable for the tanners to handle. The eggs regularly graded for tanners' 

 purposes are as follows: 



Candling-room discards. — White rots, eggs with moldy shells, eggs with adherent 

 yolks, eggs with blood rings, and eggs with yolk nearly mixed with white, etc. 



Breaking-room discards. — Sour eggs, eggs with green whites, eggs with a moldy odor, 

 other eggs with abnormal odors, and good eggs, when bad eggs are broken in a cup 

 with them, etc. 



Many of these eggs are illustrated in Bulletin 51 of the U. S. Department of Agri- 

 culture; others are shown in this report in Plates XV and XVI. 



In Table 7 are given the laboratory findings in samples of tanners' eggs, four of 

 which were prepared from eggs discarded in the candling room and six from eggs 

 rejected in the breaking room. It will be noted that every sample is heavily infected 

 with organisms and that with few exceptions those prepared in the breaking room 

 were about twice as heavily infected as those made from eggs discarded during can- 

 dling. This difference would have been still greater had no good eggs been present 

 in the former. 



The number of bacteria in tanners' eggs varied from 31,000,000 to 150,000,000, being 

 markedly greater than the average count found in the samples of first-grade eggs. 

 The minimum figure, however, is not far from the average bacterial content of the 

 second-grade product, i. e., 35,000,000. 



The amount of chemical decomposition was also greater in the tanners' grade pre- 

 pared from eggs rejected in the breaking room than in that made from the bad eggs 

 found on candling. The average amount of ammoniacal nitrogen found in the former 

 was 0.0099 per cent on the dry basis and in the latter 0.0160 per cent. 



