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22 BULLETIN 51, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



EGGS HAVING CRACKED SHELLS. 



Mechanical injury to eggs, due to rough handling, is another great 

 money loss to the egg industry and a food loss to the consumers. 

 Many eggs are completely wrecked and are termed " mashed " eggs 

 by the industry. In this case they are not only lost but they soil a 

 number of eggs otherwise good. Where the shell is so broken that 

 the contents are escaping the egg is termed a " leaker." In addition 

 to leakers the industry has to contend with enormous numbers of 

 " checks " — that is, eggs which have cracked shells but intact mem- 

 branes. 



Leakers are thrown out at every stage of handling, from the coun- 

 try merchant or egg peddler to the city retailer, and are generally a 

 total loss. Checks are disposed of if possible and as near the gather- 

 ing point as may be, because they are weakened mechanically and are 

 free food for any bacterium or mold that may chance to fall into the 

 crack. Hence they are sure, in commerce, to rot quickly. The 

 cracked eggs coming to the breaker in the producing section are re- 

 ceived by him much sooner after the damage is done than by the 

 breaker in the consuming center, and for that reason they are usually 

 in better bacterial condition. Table 8 gives the results of the exami- 

 nation of 56 of these cracked eggs, both blind and visible checks. 

 Some of these eggs were fresh and above reproach except for the 

 damaged shell; others had dirty as well as cracked shells, hatch 

 spots, weak yolks, thin whites, etc. 



