COMMERCIAL EGGS IN THE CENTRAL WEST. 13 



The bacterial content of these eggs is generally slightly higher 

 than in the earlier stage of staleness unless aging has occurred at the 

 low temperatures of the egg storage warehouse, when the count is as 

 low as or lower ^ than in new-laid eggs. 



This type of deteriorated egg is very common in the breakers' 

 stocks, and, indeed, throughout the market seconds in both summer 

 and winter, due to rapid deterioration from high temperatures in the 

 one case and to the slow deterioration which occurs at 29° to 31° F. 

 in the other. The market life of such eggs is shorter than when dete- 

 rioration is not so far advanced. Hence the egg shipper with a 

 breaking establishment at hand prefers to break and freeze or dry 

 these eggs while they are still edible rather than to risk the certain 

 losses of a haul to the consumer, 



EGGS CHANGED BY INCUBATION. 



Table 6 shows typical bacterial findings in eggs where deteriora- 

 tion had progressed along different lines than those described under 

 stale eggs and eggs with settled yolks. In the first group of 20 eggs 

 the development of the chick had not reached the blood-forming 

 stage, which normally occurs in about 24 hours when the temperature 

 is that of the hen, 103° F., but which had gone sufficiently far for the 

 candler to observe a small darkened area on the yolk. This in the 

 industry is known as a " light spot," and when the egg is broken it is 

 usually seen as a round area about three-eighths inch in diameter, 

 having two distinct zones, an inner and outer circle (see PL II). 

 Such eggs, constantly sold in their shells for food purposes, are used 

 by the housewife without question if the odor is good and if the 

 white and yolk are intact. They do not ship well because the yolk 

 membrane is often weak, and many kinds of spoilage may develop in 

 them on short notice. Hence they are sent in large numbers to the 

 egg breakers in the producing regions, 



^ Unpublished results on storage eggs. 



