194 BACTERIOLOGICAL METHODS 



definite quantities (dilutions as i-io and i-ioo). Certain rotting 

 bacteria attack eggs very readily. As all housewives know, 

 eggs which are broken become unfit for use in a very short period 

 of time, because of decomposition changes. The dried eggs of 

 the market are very likely to show high bacterial counts and the 

 manufacture of evaporated eggs, dried egg albumen and other 

 egg products intended for use as food should be carried on under 

 suitable methods, keeping in mind the speedy decomposition of 

 the egg material. 



Dried and evaporated eggs and dried egg albumen are ex- 

 amined for bacteria by the direct method and also by the plating 

 method. 



It is certainly evident that no complicated bacteriological 

 testing is necessary to determine the unfitness of a rotten egg or 

 an egg which is highly musty or discolored as shown by the 

 candle test. The important problem in estimating the significance 

 of rotten eggs is what percentage of rotten eggs may be present 

 in an acceptable lot or shipment? It is evident that, under ordi- 

 nary conditions, the bacterial count of eggs not sufficiently 

 spoiled to be noticeable to the unaided senses (eggs taken from a 

 lot in which there are numerous rotten eggs) will exceed many 

 milUons per cc. Condemnation of eggs for human consumption 

 should not be based upon the percentage of rotten eggs present, 

 but rather upon the finding of a given number of bacteria in a 

 mixed sample of the whites of one dozen average eggs taken from 

 the lot, exclusive of completely rotted eggs. Eighteen eggs 

 are taken from the lot, cleaned as already suggested, the eggs 

 broken one by one, pouring the white of each egg into a suitable 

 container and rejecting all eggs in which the white cannot be 

 separated from the yolk without mixing. If six or more out of 

 the eighteen eggs are decidedly bad, the lot is to be condemned 

 without further examination. 



If twelve out of the eighteen eggs break in such a manner 

 as to make it possible to separate the whites from the yolks, 



