eChapters

23.1 Introduction

Eggs are nutrient dense superfoods, naturally occurring vitamin pills. They contain a complete source of protein with all essential aminoacids and naturally occurring vitamin D. The adverse publicity of high cholesterol content in the egg limit their intake. Nowadays consumers need the products free from drugs/ pesticides and contain special health promoting substances. To reap the growing demand of health conscious consumers and to make available of their requirements, designer eggs are made. Designer eggs are those eggs their composition differ from the standard eggs by changing the feed of the hen.

22.1 What is Livestock Product Marketing?

Livestock Products Marketing is the change of ownership of livestock derived food products. It links the livestock production and food consumption. There are three aspects of livestock market transactions:

1. Spatial – transactions occur across space

2. Temporal – transactions occur across time

3. Form – transactions occur in a certain form

21.1 Introduction

The egg industry has grown quickly in the last decade as people’s eating habits have become more aware of the importance of good and nutritious diets. Eggs are now widely accepted as a good source of high-quality protein. Increased demand in consumer choice has resulted in a wide variety of egg selection available in the retail market. Eggs of high quality are needed to sustain niche markets for specialty and designer eggs–seeking consumers. Egg quality defines those characteristics of an egg that affect consumer acceptability and preference. The parameters for egg grading include shell cleanliness, strength, texture, and shape; the relative viscosity of the albumen; and the shape and firmness of the yolk.

19.1 Introduction

Quality has been defined as the properties of any given food that have an influence on the acceptance or rejection of this food by the consumer. Egg quality is a general term which refers to several aspects of both internal and external quality. Internal egg quality involves functional, aesthetic and microbiological properties of the egg yolk and albumen. The proportions of components for fresh egg are 32% yolk, 58% albumen and 10% shell. The quality of an egg is at its best when the egg is laid. There is no known method by which this quality can be improved subsequently.

18.1 Introduction

The egg industry has grown quickly in the last decade as people’s eating habits have become more aware of the importance of good and nutritious diets. Eggs are now widely accepted as a good source of high-quality protein. However, at the same time, the eggshell that pollutes the environment is discharged into the open. This eggshell waste can be used to make a variety of items, including pharmaceuticals and medicines. Additionally, this raw material is inexpensive and conveniently accessible. Eggshells are ranked as the fifteenth biggest environmental pollutant.

17.1 Introduction

The plant layout needs a proper arrangement of each constituent area, along with their interrelationship. One of the most important considerations is the future expansion potential. The plant layout design should permit expansion readily and economically. One side of the building should be free of permanent installations such as compressors, septic tanks, toilets, drain fields, offices, and loading docks to permit the addition of building units without relocating these auxiliary facilities.

16.1 Introduction

Successful egg production is highly dependent on sanitation and decontamination, and producing clean eggs is the most major element of egg sanitation. Egg contents might become contaminated either vertically or horizontally. The ideal option for small farms can be to keep hatching eggs in a hygienic area and incubate them as soon as possible without sanitation but it’s not the same kind in case for commercial producers need to get a poultry veterinarian guidance on the proper egg handling and sanitation program depending on their needs. There are several preharvest techniques used to minimize egg contamination, including immunization, feed additives, home sanitation, bacteriophages, and biosecurity.

15.1 Introduction

In addition to serving as a means of reproduction, avian eggs are a staple meal in the diet of humans and include a natural balance of all the required components. However, eggs must overcome a few drawbacks in the current food market in order to compete for sales with an expanding number of other items. For instance, eggs are a delicate commodity that age-related quality reduction. Additionally, the intrinsic variability of the egg’s three primary parts—the shell, albumen, and yolk—does not meet the demands of contemporary customers for consistency. The successful sale of eggs depends on planned production techniques and effective quality control processes, both of which contribute to decrease this fluctuation.

14.1 Introduction

Eggs are an essential food for humans due to the high nutritional quality and quantity that they contain. Eggs are one of the most consumed foods all over the world because of its nutritious profile, range of uses, and relatively inexpensive cost as a food source. Intakes of total lipids, cholesterol, and saturated fatty acids in human diets can be attributed, in part, to the consumption of animal products. Due to the high amounts of cholesterol (about 200-300 mg/100 g) and saturated fat (approximately 3 g/100 g), eggs have been considered to be contentious foods by several health organisations and nutritional experts.

13.1 Introduction

Many changes have occurred in egg production and processing, as well as in the egg itself, over the last 40 years. All of these changes have contributed to the microbial challenges of the egg that we face today. In the past, production traits including egg size, feed conversion and egg output have received the majority of attention in genetic selection of laying hens. Microbial integrity hasn’t been given much attention. Until the 1990s, food safety concerns associated with shell eggs were not considered. Eggs were thought to be pathogen free until they were cracked.

12.1 Introduction

The eggs represent very good basis that can be enriched with useful and beneficial substances and become functional food, since certain beneficial substances which layers consume in their daily diets transfer relatively easily into their products. However, enrichment of poultry meat and eggs can have adverse consequences in regard to their quality. Functional food is interesting also from the economical aspect, because it opens for poultry producers the possibility to introduce new products into their product range. Of course, main assumption is that consumers of enriched products are willing to pay premium price for these products, which is by 15-20% higher than average product price. On a global basis, eggs are one of the most recognized and accepted foods by consumers.

10.1 Introduction

The primary purpose of egg packaging is to keep the egg safe from damage, such as cracking, while in transit. By limiting gas exchange via the shell and shell membrane, the egg package may help safeguard the egg’s internal quality. Once an egg has been deposited, it is immediately exposed to the conditions of the henhouse. In this environment, it is exposed to many different microorganisms. Almost often, there are no negative effects on health. However, there are microbes that can ruin eggs and others that can cause food poisoning. Salmonella bacteria are found in the digestive tract of all animals and can contaminate the poultry houses.

9.1 Introduction

Many cultures throughout the world see the egg as nature’s perfect meal. Many other kinds of animals lay eggs, yet the vast majority of people eat chicken eggs. There are a number of reasons why the quality of an egg matters today. Grading eggs is so essential. Quality, size, shape, weight, and other characteristics are all taken into account while sorting eggs for grading. To put it simply, food quality refers to the traits of a product that determine whether or not it is accepted by the target audience. Egg quality is based on both industry standards and consumer expectations. Considerations from the outside include egg shell composition, hue, form, and feel. Air cells, egg white, egg yolk, etc., are all examples of internal quality.

8.1 Introduction

Egg is a perishable product having short shelf life. The table eggs are of highest quality when they are laid. Preservation of eggs should start from the point of production itself.

The following practices are recommended as routine for the production of quality eggs on the farm.

1. Collection of eggs at least 3 times daily.

2. Using a clean receptacle with ventilated sides and bottom, preferably filler f lats.

7.1 Introduction

From a nutritional standpoint, eggs are particularly interesting since they include important fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and trace elements. They also provide a moderate calorie supply (about 140 kcal/100 g), have a wide range of culinary applications, and are relatively inexpensive. Indeed, it has been shown that eggs are the second-cheapest animal source for zinc and calcium and the lowest-cost source of proteins, vitamin A, iron, vitamin B12, riboflavin, and choline. Eggs include a wide variety of physiologically active ingredients in addition to offering babies and adults well-balanced nutritional needs. These elements are distributed throughout the many internal egg components. It must be noted that while eggshell membranes are edible, eggshell and its closely related eggshell membranes are often not ingested (Figure 7.1).

6.1 Introduction

The egg production in the country has increased from 78.48 billion in 2014-15 to 114.38 billion in 2019-20. India ranks 3rd in egg production in the world. Annual growth rate of egg production was 4.99 per cent during 2014-15, there after there has been a significant improvement in the egg production with 10.19 per cent growth registered in 2019-20 over the previous year. The per capita availability of egg was 86 per annum in 2019-20. Less than a generation ago the main supply of eggs was from small backyard unit. Processors, handlers, and distributors of eggs and egg products need an understanding of egg-production practices to cope more intelligently with problems of product quality and character

5.1 Introduction

The egg production in the country has increased from 78.48 billion in 2014-15 to 114.38 billion in 2019-20. India ranks 3rd in egg production in the world. Annual growth rate of egg production was 4.99 per cent during 2014-15, there after there has been a significant improvement in the egg production with 10.19 per cent growth registered in 2019-20 over the previous year. The per capita availability of egg was 86 per annum in 2019-20. Less than a generation ago the main supply of eggs was from small backyard unit. Processors, handlers, and distributors of eggs and egg products need an understanding of egg-production practices to cope more intelligently with problems of product quality and character.

4.1 Introduction

The egg is made up of three primary components: the egg white, the egg yolk, and the egg shell. The calcite crystals of the shell are enmeshed in a protein and carbohydrate complex matrix. About 58% of the weight of an egg is made up of the viscous, colourless liquid termed egg white inside the shell. About 75% of the weight of an egg’s edible component is made up of water, although proteins and lipids make up the majority of its nutritional worth (Table 4.1). There are also trace quantities of minerals, often known as ash, and carbohydrates, which take the form of simple sugars including glucose, sucrose, fructose, lactose, maltose, and galactose.

3.1 Introduction

Eggs are composed of three main parts; the eggshell with the eggshell membrane, the albumen or white, and the yolk. The yolk is surrounded by albumen, which in turn is enveloped by eggshell membranes and finally a hard eggshell.

3.2 Eggshell

The eggshell is composed of a foamy layer of cuticle, a calcite or calcium carbonate layer, and two shell membranes. The ultrastructurally the eggshell includes shell membranes, mammillary zone, calcium reserve assembly, palisades, and cuticle, with 7,000 – 17,000 funnel shaped pore canals distributed unevenly on the shell surface for exchange for water and gases