Ozone treatment of shell eggs to preserve functional quality and enhance shelf life during storage.
BACKGROUND
Eggs have long been recognised as a source of high-quality proteins. Many methods exist to extend shelf life of food and one of them is ozone treatment, which is an emerging technology for disinfecting surfaces in the food industry. This study aimed to extend the shelf life of fresh eggs using gaseous ozone treatments at concentrations of 2, 4 and 6 ppm with exposure times of 2 and 5 min during storage for 6 weeks at 24 °C. The effect of the treatments on interior quality and functional properties of eggs is also reported.


RESULTS
Ozone concentration and exposure time significantly affected the Haugh unit (HU), yolk index, albumen pH, relative whipping capacity (RWC), and albumen viscosity of eggs during the storage. Control eggs had the highest albumen pH and lowest albumen viscosity. Attributes such as albumen pH and RWC of eggs exposed to ozone treatments were better than the control samples. The measurement results showed that ozone concentration at 6 ppm and exposure time of 5 min can be applied to fresh eggs and extend shelf life up to 6 weeks at 24 °C storage period.


CONCLUSIONS
Ozone treatments helped to maintain egg quality for a longer time. Ozone concentrations at 2 and 4 ppm showed promising results in maintaining internal quality and functional properties of fresh eggs during storage. Ozone at high concentration (6 ppm) caused a detrimental effect on eggshell quality. As a result, this study demonstrated that ozone treatments of 2, and especially 4 and 6 ppm concentration maintained eggshell quality during the storage. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.
Department of Food Processing, Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, 017020-, Canakkale, Turkey.
Muhammed
M
Yüceer
Department of Food Engineering, Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, 017020-, Canakkale, Turkey.
Mehmet Seçkin
MS
Aday
Department of Food Engineering, Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, 017020-, Canakkale, Turkey.
Cengiz
C
Caner
D004531:Eggs / Q000032:analysis*; D005519:Food Preservation; D061353:Food Storage; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D010126:Ozone; D013997:Time Factors
D010126:Ozone
albumen and egg yolk; egg quality; functionality; gaseous ozone; physicochemical properties; shell eggs