COMMERCIAL EGGS IN THE CENTRAL WEST. 5 
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. 
Numerous cliemical analyses of fresh eggs have been made in this 
laboratory in connection with the investigation of the handling of 
eggs. They extend our knowledge of the composition of the fresh 
egg, especially in relation to the quantity of loosely bound nitrogen 
in egg protein; that is, the nitrogen split by the action of a weak 
alkali and removed for estimation by aeration. This form of ni- 
trogen occurs in very minute quantity in the protein of the freshly 
laid egg, and is much increased, though still small in amount, in 
eggs that have deteriorated. The amount of loosely bound nitrogen 
is at the present time the best and simplest index that has been found 
of the chemical stability of the egg. Hence the quantity of this 
substance has been determined in the various grades and kinds of 
market eggs and in those used by the egg breakers, as well as in eggs 
24 hours old. 
The analyses recorded in Table 1 show that most of the loosely 
bound nitrogen is found in the yolk of the egg, where it averages in 
western summer eggs of highest quality 0.0023 per cent. Whole eggs 
of like grade gave 0.0013 per cent as an average. 
Table 1. — Fresh eggs. 
Portion and sample No. 
Date of 
collec- 
tion. 
Total number 
of bacteria per 
gram on plain 
agar incubated 
at— 
Gelatin 
lique- 
fying 
organ- 
.isms 
per 
gram. 
Ammoniacal 
nitrogen, Folin 
method. 
Mois- 
ture. 
Ether 
extract. 
Size 
of 
sample. 
20° C. 
37° C. 
Wet 
basis. 
Dry 
basis. 
White: 
261 
1911. 
July 14 
July 17 
Aug. 21 
...do.... 
Per 
cent. 
0. 0004 
. 0003 
.0004 
.0003 
.0003 
. 0026 
.0025 
.0023 
.0024 
.0020 
.0022 
Per 
cent. 
10. 0033 
. 0025 
.0033 
.0025 
.0025 
.0050 
.0047 
.0043 
. 0046 
.0034 
.0042 
Per 
cent. 
Per 
cent. 
Em.^ 
271 
12 
6S7 
12 
559 
561 
...do ... '-- - 

12 
Yelk: 
214 
July 10 
Julv 14 
July 17 
Aug. 21 
...do 
150 
360 
130 
47.81 
46 88 
31.87 
6 
269 
18 
12 
270 
46 89 
656 

47.80 
47.28 
47.84 
73.19 
73.44 
72.96 
10.86 
11.28 
11.40 
12 
558 
12 
560 
...do 
12 
Whole egg: 
June 26 
.do 


i:o 
75 


70 
30 
127 
30 
168 
July 3 
July 10 
July 14 
July 17 
...do 
36 
212 
.0013 
.0011 
.0013 
2.0047 
.0040 
.0047 
6 
262 
272 .... 
\\ 
273 
45 
85 

50 
45 
6 
329 
July 24 
do 
.0015 
.0013 
.0011 
.0054 
.0047 
.0040 
330 
445 
Aug. 4 
:;;::::: 
24 
1 
1 Moisture content of fresh egg white taken as 87.94 per cent, average of 236 eggs. 
2 Moisture content of fresh whole egg taken as 72.44 per cent, average of 9 eggs (analyses given in Konig, 
pp. 98 and 1470, and of three analyses Nos. 126, 127, and 168 given above). 
A number of unpublished analyses of fresh eggs from various 
sources would indicate a maximum and minimum variation of 0.0010 
