46 



BULLETIN 51, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



composed of five eggs with a similar but not strong odor contained 

 550,000 bacteria per gram and showed the low amount of ammoniacal 

 nitrogen of 0.0016 per cent on the wet basis. Further tests are 

 necessary before it can be positively stated whether the faint odor 

 of warm cracked eggs is due to bacterial action or to absorption from 

 surrounding materials. Experienced egg breakers recognize the 

 characteristic odor of warm checks and do not discard them. 



Quite different were the results of the examination of two indi- 

 vidual eggs, the odor of which was suggestive of the products of 

 bacterial growth. The eggs, normal in appearance, differed from 

 each other only in the intensity of the odor. The count of the egg 

 with the faint odor was 12,000,000, of the one with the strong odor 

 150,000,000. These eggs would be detected by careful grading and 

 eliminated from a food product. 



On account of the damaged shell, checks in a short time become 

 infested with bacteria or molds or both. This result is hastened 

 when the shells are soiled with the leakage from other eggs. From 

 different lots of cracked eggs there were selected six samples consist- 

 ing of from 4 to 12 eggs with moldy shells. No eggs were included 

 unless the contents were normal in appearance, taste, and odor. 

 Table 18 shows that- there was a count of 160,000 in one sample and 

 of from 1,200,000 to 12,000,000 in the other five. These results prove 

 that even if the contents of cracked eggs with moldy shells smell, 

 taste, and look good the egg substance is infected with bacteria as well 

 as with molds. 



Table 18. 



-Cracked eggs until moldy t<heUs opened commercially in packing 

 house. 



Sam- 

 ple 



No. 



Source. 



Date of 

 collec- 

 tion. 



Total number of 



bacteria per 



gram en plain 



agar at— 



Num- 

 ber of 



gas-pro- 

 ducing 

 bacteria 



per 

 gram in 

 lactose 



bUe. 



Gelatin 

 lique- 

 fying 

 organ- 



Percentage 

 of ammonia- 

 cal nitro- 

 gen, Folin 

 method. 



Per 

 cent 

 of 

 mois- 

 ture. 



Size of 

 sample. 



Descrip- 

 tion. 





20° C. 



37° C. 



gram. 



Wet 

 basis. 



Dry 



basis. 





4217 



4241 

 4398 

 4.58.3 

 4590 

 41022 



Fl 



Fl 

 D2 

 D3 



E4 

 D6 



1912. 

 May 2 



May 3 

 May 27 

 June 20 

 June 24 

 Aug. 20 



1,200,000 



2, 700. 000 

 4, 000, 000 

 8 f/X),000 

 12, 001), 000 

 100,000 



1, 300, 000 



1,700,000 

 3,100,000 

 .3, 400, 000 

 5, 900, 000 

 140, 000 



10 



10 



100 



100 







1,000 



230, 000 



15,000 



in 1. 000 



40, OCO 







0. 0019 



. 0013 

 .(:019 

 . (:021 

 . 0025 

 .0019 



0. oocr 



.0043 

 .0058 

 .0070 

 .0088 

 .0004 



C9. 31 



rs.26 



(i7. 17 

 70.18 

 71.76 

 70.23 



8 eggs.. 



12 eggs. 

 8 eggs.. 

 4 eggs . . 



Oeggs.. 



Odor and 



taste 



good. 



Do. 



Odor good. 



Do. 



Do. 



Do. 













MOLDY CRACKED EGGS COMPARED WITH NONMOLDY CRACKED EGGS. 



41030 

 4103 



DC 

 DC 



Aug. 21 

 Aug. 21 



22, 000, 000 13,000,000 

 2,700,OOo'l,700,000 



100,000 



0.0023 

 .0022 



0. 0078 

 .0079 



nibs. 



48 lbs. 



Moldy 

 shells. 



Nonmoldy 

 s h ells 

 from 

 same lot 

 as4103G. 



