Improving safety of eating eggs through novel pathogen-killing method

Almost one in 10 cases of foodborne illness in the United States is associated with eggs. Americans eat, on average, 287 eggs per person annually. More than 14.1 billion eggs are incubated to produce chicks for the egg and poultry meat industries. Reducing the risk of disease-causing bacteria on eggshells is a priority for the industry, as is the health and safety of hatching chicks.

Researchers at Pennsylvania State University explored using pulsed ultraviolet light to kill pathogens on eggshells (both table and hatching eggs) via an egg-carrying conveyor that provided complete rotation of eggs under the flashlamp.

The pulsed UV light resulted in faster and greater microbial reduction of two different strains on the eggs shell surface compared with conventional UV light treatment. No negative effects on hatching eggs were found. Without water or chemical sanitizers, this scalable technology can achieve equal or greater microbial reductions than currently available methods.

Reducing microbes on eggs not only aids in food safety for consumers, but improves health of hatching chicks by keeping them from receiving early exposure to microbial pathogens.

Project supported by Hatch and Hatch Multistate funds.