12 BULLETIN 224, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
TABLE 5.—Summary of laboratory results on leaking eggs, tray method of handling, 
1912—Continued. 
Il. CHEMICAL DATA. 
Percentage of ammoniacal nitrogen. Percentage of moisture. - 
Num- ‘ A i 
once perigi Wet basis. Dry basis. 
ples! | a asec aa Mini- | Maxi- | Aver- 
Mini- | Maxi- | Aver- | Mini- | Maxi- | Aver- | MUM. | Mum.| age 
mum. | mum age. | mum. | mum age 
1B Fat Saat ce ay aL se 13 | 0.0013 | 0.0022 | 0.0017 | 0.0047 | 0.0076 | 0.0058 | 69.07} 72.83 71.18 
1D) Rane eee tet 11 - 0020 . 0028 - 0023 . 0066 . 0079 .0074 |} 64.12] 70.60 68.16 
Pe, eet ee see oe 13} .0015 | .0028 |) .0020 | .0049| .0080/] .0065 |] 65.59] 71.42 69.33 
The bacterial counts and the percentages of ammoniacal nitrogen of samples of 
good quality leaking eggs handled by the tray method, broken in a cleanly manner and 
graded carefully, were no greater than those found in synchronous samples of seconds, 
dirty, or cracked eggs. 
Samples with high bacterial counts and, in some cases, with high percentages of 
ammoniacal nitrogen are grouped in Table 6. In most instances these results could 
be traced to poor grading during breaking or to low-grade receipts from which the 
leaking eggs were sorted. 
TABLE 6.—Commercial samples of low quality, leaking eggs, tray method, 1912. 
Bacteria per gram Ammoniacal | 
on plain agar in- | Gas-pro-| nitrogen (Folin Ane ae 
Sam- Date of | cubated at— ducing | Lique- method). ‘ Size | Hor 
le |Source.| collec- bacteria | fying Moist-| of | °@ 
£ tion per gram jorganisms|/———~—_|_ ure. | sam-| q; 
O. . y ee In lactose | per gram. yo Dry ple. |.3 mak 
20°C: 372C: bile. Basigedlpacte! 
| | | 
Per.ct.| ‘Per:ct.|\ ‘Per ct.) \3Doz. 
70.13 6 
4503. .| F-3...| June 11 | 4,900,000] 3,300,000] 10,000) 1,800,000] 0.0022} 0.0074 
4526. .| F-3...| June 12 |19,000,000/15,000,000| 100,000 ~ 800,000} .0021/ .0068| 69.18, _— 6]... 
4737. .| E-5...| July 13 [36,000,000] 3,000, 000 ri" Pe -0029} 0105] 72.43] 24) 53 
4858. .| D-5...| July 29 |14,000,000/19,000,000/  10,000|.......... -0019} .0064| 70. 43 6} 16 
4859. .| D-5...|... do... .|20, 000, 000/67,000,000| 100,000|........-. -0019} .0065| 70.58; 6| 9 
The amount of moisture averaged 71.18 per cent in the 13 samples of leaking eggs 
taken at D house, 68.16 per cent in the 11 samples taken at E house, and 69.33 per cent 
in the 15 taken at Fhouse. These figures were lower than those found when cracked 
or whole eggs were examined, due to the fact that some of the white, which contains 
considerably more water than the yolk, had been lost. 
SOFT EGGS. 
Eggs which are not separable into white and yolk are termed soft eggs in this 
report. This egg is illustrated in Plate XIV. It may have a whole yolk before the 
candle, but may be ruptured during the process of breaking. 
Thirteen samples of soft eggs were taken, in which there was observed a consider- 
able variation in both the bacterial content and the amount of ammoniacal nitrogen. 
For example, 53.8 per cent of the samples contained less than 5,000,000 bacteria per 
gram, and 46.2 per cent, between 6,100,000 and 80,000,000 per gram. (See Table 
F-VIII, Appendix.) 
The samples with counts under 5,000,000 contained an average of 0.0021 per cent 
of ammoniacal nitrogen on the wet basis and’ 0.0074 per cent on the water-free basis; 
those with counts over 5,000,000 showed an average of 0.0026 per cent on the wet 
basis and of 0.0086 per cent on the water-free basis. The average amount of loosely- 
bound nitrogen in the samples of soft egg, with counts under 5,000,000 per gram, is 
practically the same as that found in samples of whole egg which could be separated 
into white and yolk. 
