Eggs-

Functional
Properties
Eggs
Natural biological structure with
shells offering protection for
developing chick embryos
Numerous functions in food systems
- Provide nutritive value and culinary
variety to the diet
- Economical source of food

Must be protected against becoming

contaminated 2
WHO
Eggs are considered to be the
reference protein worldwide, to
which all other proteins are
compared
- Dietary protein quality is measured by:
- Amino Acid composition, quality and quantity
- Digestibility: how well the human body absorbs
and uses the ingested protein

The age, temperature, humidity and 3

Storage
Eggs should be kept in the carton
in which they were obtained
- Prevents moisture loss and the
absorption of odors and flavors
from other refrigerated
ingredients

4
Physical Structure and
Composition of Eggs
The whole egg
- Average hen egg weighs 57 g (2 oz)
- Yolk
- White
- Shell
Egg protein includes the enzyme alpha-amylase
- Must be inactivated by heat to have desirable cooked
egg mixtures
- Undercooked egg mixtures may not show a deleterious
effect until after it has been refrigerated

5
Structure of an egg 6
7
Yolk
31% of the weight of an egg
- Has ALL the egg’s cholesterol
- Almost all the fat
- Higher nutrient density than the
white
- Contains ALL the vitamins known,
except vitamin C
- Supply flavor and mouthfeel that
consumers find acceptable 8
Yolk-Fat
Contains all 3 lipids (triglycerides): fats and oils,
phospholipids and sterols in large spheres, granules
and micelles
Phospholipid
- Phosphatidylcholine or Lecithin
Sterol
- Cholesterol
Yolk-Protein
40% of the egg’s protein
Primarily vitellin- present in a lipoprotein complex as
lipovitellin and lipovitellinin
Phosphorus containing phosvitin and sulfur 9
Yolk- Pigments
Mainly xantophylls, carotene and lycopene
- Come from animal feed such as the green
plants and yellow corn hens eat
If yolks have a higher carotenoid content, they
are darker (although not necessarily have more
vitamin A)
Chickens with pale yolks may be fed with
supplement to darken the yolk
- There is a higher concentration of solids in
the yolk than the white→ water movement
10
into the yolk occurs as the egg ages→ causes
The White “Albumen”
58% of the weight of an egg
Consists of concentric layers: 2 thick whites
separated by inner and outer thin whites
Old eggs or low grade eggs: the thick albumen
becomes indistinguishable from the thin whites and
the height of the thick albumen diminishes
- Haugh meter measures the height
of the thick albumen
Fresh eggs maintain the egg yolk in place
more than older eggs
11
The White “Albumen”
High biological value protein = complete
protein with all the essential amino acids
in a well-balanced proportion
- Half of the protein in whites is
ovalbumin
- Conalbumin, ovomucid and globulins,
avidin are other proteins in the white
60% of egg protein is in the egg white
Addition of egg whites in place of an entire
12
The White “Albumen”
Other constituents of the white:
- Almost no fat
- Vitamins riboflavin (greenish tint to the white), niacin,
biotin
- Minerals: magnesium and potassium
If consumed raw, the avidin protein binds with the biotin
and renders biotin ineffective when consumed.

13
The Shell
11% weight of the egg
Dry shell contains:
- 94% Calcium Carbonate
- 1% Magnesium carbonate
- 1% Calcium phosphate
- 4% Organic matrix made primarily of protein
Layers of the shell:
● Mammillary/Inner layer
● Spongy layer
● Outer cuticle
○ Blocks the pores and protects the egg against
outside contamination entering the egg
14
The Shell
Thousands of pores run throughout these layers naturally
for a potentially chick developing inside.
● As a result, CO2 and moisture losses occur and O2
enters the shell
The shell also functions as:
- Barrier against harmful bacteria and mold entry as a
protein layer of keratin to partially eal the shell pore
Sweating or moisture condensation on the shell may
produce stains. The presence of animal droppings too.
Simply washing is NOT recommended as it may remove
the shell’s outer cuticle lining or open its pores resulting in
diminished shelf life.
15
Once the outside protection is violated, microorganisms
Color is not an
indication of quality
or nutritive value

Shell color: due to breed

● No known effect on egg flavor or
quality(including nutritional value)

Yolk color: due to feed

16
Changes due to Aging
● Contents inside the shell shrink and the air
cell enlarges due to water loss
● Yolk flattens as the vitelline membrane
thins
● Yolk is no longer centered in the egg
● The thick white thins as sulfide bonds
break, and it loses CO2
with age
● pH rises to a more
alkaline level
○ From 7.6→ 9.6
17
○ Allows bacterial
Abnormalities: structure &
composition
● Double-yolked egg
● Yolkless eggs
● Egg within an egg
● Blood spots
○ Rupture of one or more small blood vessels in the yolk follicle
at the time of ovulation
○ Chemically and nutritionally fit to eat
● Meat spots
○ Tissue sloughed off from the reproductive organs of the hen
○ Blood spots that changed color
● Soft-shelled eggs
● Thin-shelled eggs
● Glassy and chalky shelled eggs
● Off colored yolks
● Off flavored eggs
○ Feed flavors like fish oil or garlic
○ Improper storage practices 18
Egg Functions 19
Inspections
and grading for
egg quality

20
USDA grades eggs on a fee for
service basis in order to assign
grades
Grading involves an evaluation of:
- Exterior shell
- Shape
- Texture
- Soundness (not broken)
- Cleanliness
- Interior white and yolk and air 21
Candlin
g
Technique that allows a view of the
shell and inside of eggs without
breaking the shell

Can be either by hand or by mass

scanning

22
Letter Grades
Issued voluntarily
- Based on candled quality and may
appear as shields on the egg cartons
AA: highest quality egg
A and B on descending order
Eggs are examined for interior and exterior
quality before they’re sorted and also
consider the weight (size)

23
24
 Floating test:
Older eggs will float if placed in a

Air Cell bowl of water and indicates less

desirable eggs

Air sac or Air pocket

● Empty space formed at the large end of
the egg that holds oxygen
The air cell increases in size with age, cooling
and moisture loss
- Could result in microbial spoilage due to
the plentiful oxygen is supplies to
microorganisms
It is recommended that eggs should be
packed with the large, blunt end of the egg 25
Primary factor
determining egg
size: age of the
hen, an older hen
produces a larger
egg
Other factors:
breed and weight
of the hen.

26
Homework
Read Egg proteins article (pdf in Canvas)
for quiz on Thursday
PPT
Topics: Team 1: Mariana Castillo, Gloria,
●
Sofía Amaro→ Introduction and
Introduction
● Egg Shell Proteins Egg Shell Proteins
● Egg White Proteins
○ Ovalbumin Team 2: Gerardo Aranda, Pablo
○ Ovotransferrin
○ Ovomucoid Peña, Jimena Tamez→ Egg White
○ Ovomucin Proteins
○ Lysozyme
● Minor proteins in egg white Team 3: Vero López, Regina
○ Ovoglobulin
○ Cystatin Lozano, Mariana Escalante,
○ Avidin Daniela Ayala → Minor proteins in
○ Ovoflavin egg white
● Egg Yolk Proteins
○ LDL
○ HDL Team 4: Daniela Lozano, Claudia
○ Phosvitin Escobar, María Andrea Corral,
○ Livetin Andrea Cantú → Egg Yolk proteins
● Conclusion 27
28
Bibliography
https://www.internationalegg.com/reso
urces/scientific-library/?_paged=4

Vaclavik, V. A., Christian, E. W., &

Campbell, T. (2020). Essentials of Food
Science (Food Science Text Series)
(5th ed. 2021 ed.). Springer.

29
Why your store-bought
eggs don’t produce baby
chicks
Science and Modern Agriculture
- Chickens don’t need a rooster to start
laying eggs
- Chickens have thousands of ova and
through ovulation, they produce an egg a
day for a series of days. Then they take a
period of rest.
- They are moved to a “girls only club”
where they never have contact with a
male chicken (rooster) so your breakfast
dishes are safe from accidental chicks.

They’re unfertilized
30
Processing/
Preservation of
Eggs
Processing or preservation treatments
for eggs may occur both for food
safety purposes and to keep the egg
fresher, longer and limiting negative
quality changes

Eggs are laid at a hen’s body temperature and require

subsequent refrigeration. It is possible to hold an egg for
6 months in cold (0ºC) storage if the shell pores are
Processing/
Preservation of
Eggs
Shell eggs or egg products may be preserved
in
the subsequent manners:
● Mineral Oil
● Pasteurization
● Freezing
● Dehydration
● Storage in cold temperatures
Mineral Oil
Way to preserve eggs
When oil is applied→ partially closes
shell pores→ allows less microorganism
permeability
- Allows eggs to hold more moisture
within, retain its CO2 and be
protected against a pH rise in
storage
The oil is sprayed or dipped the same 33
Pasteurization of Eggs
Required by the FDA for all commercial
liquid, dry or frozen egg products that are
out of the shell.
Treatment→ destroys Salmonella bacteria
that can travel from digestive tract and
droppings of birds into the egg→ foodborne
illness infection
60-62ºC for 3-½ min or longer
- Pasteurization must allow
maintenance of the functional
properties of the egg 34
Ultrapasteurization
Liquid whole eggs combined with aseptic
packaging creates a commercial product
with numerous advantages over frozen
or shell eggs:
● Shelf life od 10 weeks when stored
between 1-4ºC
● Negative for Salmonella, Listeria and
E. Coli
● Not frozen
● Maintenance of functional properties 35
 Gummy properties are
controlled by sugar, corn
Freezing syrup or salt addition

Mean of preservation
- The open eggs must be pasteurized
prior to freezing
- Uncooked whites retain their
functional properties after freezing
and thawing
- Cooked whites exhibit syneresis
(water leakage) upon thawing
- Whole aggs and yolks may gel and
become gummy upon thawing 36
Dehydration
Simple process
Offers microbial control to egg products when
water levels are reduced by techniques such as
spray drying or drying on trays→ packaged→ may
be reconstituted and cooked, or added as an
ingredient to packaged food such as cake mixes
or pasta
● Egg yolks undergo irreversible changes in
their lipoprotein structure when dehydrated,
losing some functional and desirable sensory
properties
● Egg whites require removal of glucose before 37
products
and
substitutes
Egg substitutes have no yolks and may contain
80% egg white. The yolk is generally made of
corn oil, nonfat milk solids, calcium caseinate,
soy protein isolate, soybean oild and other
substances like vitamins and minerals. May
contain less cholesterol, less fat and more
unsaturated fat than whole eggs.

● Food Safety
● Allergies
● Enhanced functionality
● Vegetarian or vegan
lifestyles 38
Eggs Nutritive
Value
- Complete protein with a
biological value of 100
- Vitamins A, D, E, B complex,
iron, phosphorus, zinc,
iodine, potassium and sulfur
- Low in calories: 75 kcal per
large egg
- Used to fortify other foods
that may be low in protein
AHA: 7 eggs per week for individuals with heart 40
Bibliography
https://www.internationalegg.co
m/resources/scientific-library/?_p
aged=4

Vaclavik, V. A., Christian, E. W., & Campbell, T. (2020).

Essentials of Food Science (Food Science Text Series) (5th
ed. 2021 ed.). Springer.

41