The incredibly functional egg.

A review of some of the old and newer uses of eggs. Twenty-one functional uses of eggs are described. The changing attitudes of the American population relative to eggs first with respect to cholesterol and recently with regards to potential pathogens in eggs are briefly discussed. The newer uses of eggs as nutraceuticals and sources for pharmaceuticals are emphasized. The outlook for eggs in the human diet remains good.

Pasteurization of eggs in the shell.

A small percentage of all eggs may be contaminated with Salmonella enteritidis (SE). To eliminate this hazard from the food supply, procedures for pasteurizing eggs in the shell have been developed. At least four research groups are attempting to devise a process to achieve a pasteurized shell egg. Only one of the groups has reported procedures and results. Sound shell eggs were washed to remove surface contaminants. The clean eggs were then inoculated with high levels of SE cells. The inoculated eggs were then heated by one of several means to a yolk temperature of about 55 C and held at that temperature for varying periods of time. The number of surviving cells was determined. It is possible to obtain a 7 log cycle reduction of SE in inoculated eggs without a significant change in functional or visual quality of the eggs.

Processing yields and meat flavor of broilers fed a mixture of narasin and nicarbazin as an anticoccidial agent.

Processed yields (percent hot carcass) and cooked meat flavor of broilers fed 100 ppm of an anticoccidial agent (a mixture of 50 ppm narasin and 50 ppm nicarbazin) were compared with yields of birds fed a ration without the anticoccidial agent. Broilers were processed at 7 wk of age (49 days) after a 4-day withdrawal from the anticoccidial agent for the treated birds. The flavor of meat was evaluated by a 12-member sensory panel. Meat was either deep fat-fried or oven roasted. Sensory evaluations were made on freshly cooked samples and on cooked meat refrigerated for 24 h and reheated. The anticoccidial agent did not produce a difference (P greater than .05) in the hot carcass yields of the broilers as compared with control birds fed the nonmedicated diet. Analyses of triangle test data for flavor evaluations by two statistical methods indicated that there were no detectable differences (P greater than .05) in flavor between broilers fed the anticoccidial agent in the diet and those fed the control diet.

Growth, feed conversions, and yields of turkey parts of three strains of hen turkeys as influenced by age.

Effects of age on the growth, feed to gain ratios, individual part weights, and yields of hen turkeys were determined weekly from ages 12 to 21 weeks. Two hundred birds from each of three strains (A, B, and C) were processed. All three strains of hen turkeys continued to gain weight throughout the study. During the 12 to 21-week-old period birds grew from an average of 4.76 kg to 9.17 kg, while the cumulative feed to gain ratios went from 1.97 to 2.94. Strain B consistently weighed more than Strains A and C for the duration of the study. Weights of all parts increased as hens grew larger. However, the parts' proportion of total weight changed. Percentages of breast, breast muscle, and fat increase, while percentages of wing, drumstick, and skin decreased. Breast, breast muscle, and fat yields increased from 32.8 to 35.9%, 23.8 to 28.0%, and 1.7 to 5.1%, respectively. Both wing and drumstick percentages declined from approximately 14.0 to 12.0%. Thigh, thigh muscle, and shell percentages varied, but ended near their starting levels, of 14.8, 10.5, and 21.8%, respectively. At 21 weeks of age the hen turkeys were still gaining body weight. Breast weight--both actual and percentages--were still increasing.

Comparison of two lighting regimens and drinker cleaning programmes on the performance and incidence of leg abnormalities in turkey males.

Turkey males subjected to a low intensity step-down (LISD) lighting programme showed significantly heavier body weights after 20 weeks of age and significantly better feed conversions after 14 weeks of age compared with males reared in a high intensity step-up lighting (HISU) programme. Although both nonchilled and chilled carcase weights were higher, the dressing percentages were lower for males of the LISD lighting regimen. Males of the HISU lighting programme had significantly fewer leg abnormalities, shorter tarso-metatarsi, lighter drumstick weights, and lighter tibia weights. Males on the HISU lighting programme from 15 to 19 weeks of age had larger testes; however, after 20 weeks of age they were larger in males on the LISD lighting regimen. Cleaning and disinfecting the drinking troughs daily rather than weekly had no effect on any production variable measured.

The effect of carbon dioxide packaging on detection of Campylobacter jejuni from chicken carcasses.

Commercially-processed broilers were held at 4 C in carbon dioxide(CO2)-flushed bags or in natural atmosphere for nine days prior to determining the most probable number of Campylobacter jejuni on individual carcasses. Fifty broilers were evaluated. The CO2-enriched atmosphere packaging of broilers had no detectable effect on the C. jejuni populations.

Isolation and enumeration of Campylobacter jejuni from poultry products by a selective enrichment method.

A direct selective enrichment procedure was developed for the isolation of Campylobacter jejuni from poultry products. The selective enrichment medium (ATB) consisted of (per liter) tryptose (20 g), yeast extract (2.5 g), sodium chloride (5 g), FBP supplement (ferrous sulfate [0.25 g], sodium metabisulfite [0.25 g], sodium pyruvate [0.25 g]), bicine (10 g), and agar (1 g). Hematin solution (6.25 ml; prepared by dissolving 0.032 g of bovine hemin in 10 ml of 0.15 N sodium hydroxide solution and autoclaving at 0.35 kg/cm2 for 30 min), rifampin (25 mg), cefsulodin (6.25 mg), and polymyxin B sulfate (20,000 IU) were added after the medium was sterilized. The pH was adjusted to 8.0. Samples were enriched in the above medium at 42 degrees C for 48 h under an atmosphere of 5% O2, 10% CO2, and 85% N2. Enrichment cultures were streaked on a plating medium composed of Brucella agar, hematin solution, FBP supplement, and the above antibiotics. Plates were incubated under the same conditions as above. Suspect colonies from the plates were confirmed to be C. jejuni by morphological examination, growth characteristics, and biochemical tests. The above method yielded 25 isolates of C. jejuni from 50 samples of retail cut-up chicken and chicken parts, whereas a more complex method involving filtration, centrifugation, selective enrichment under a flowing atmosphere, and membrane filtration yielded only 6 positives from the same samples. The new isolation procedure was particularly effective in isolating C. jejuni in the presence of large numbers of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The effect of dietary lysine levels on performance and meat yields of White Pekin ducks.

Four trials were conducted to determine the effects of dietary lysine levels ranging from .70 to 1.00% on performance and yield of different carcass components of male and female White Pekin ducks. Dietary lysine had no significant effect on weights or feed efficiencies at market age of 48 or 49 days; however, significant differences were obtained with yields of component parts for the males in Trial 2 and the females in Trial 3. In these trials, overall meat yields were significantly better for males fed levels of lysine between .80 and .95% and for females fed a lysine level of .90%.

Effect of five cycle rapid freeze-thaw treatment in conjunction with various chemicals for the reduction of Salmonella typhimurium.

A five cycle rapid freeze-rapid thaw process was used in conjunction with chemicals to reduce numbers of Salmonella typhimurium cells on poultry meat. The second portion of chicken wings consisting of ulna and radius with attached skin and muscle was inoculated with 400 to 900 colony forming units (CFU/g) of a nalidixic acid resistant strain of S. typhimurium. Chemicals used were 20 ppm chlorine, 5% potassium sorbate, 5% lactic acid, and 5% calcium propionate. The wings were either sprayed with or dipped into all chemicals before the freeze-thaw process. Wings were also chemically treated and not subjected to the freeze-thaw process. Numbers of S. typhimurium were determined by the most probable number procedure. The relative effectiveness of combinations of chemicals and the freeze-thaw process was compared to a control with the following percentage reductions of numbers of S. typhimurium cells: lactic acid, 98%; calcium propionate, 96%; potassium sorbate, 96%; chlorine, 95%; and freeze-thaw process without chemicals, 95%. There were no statistically significant differences among the treatments. In pilot plant study simulating commercial conditions, a carbon dioxide freezer was used for the rapid freeze and a microwave oven was used for the rapid thaw. Treatment of wings with 5% lactic acid plus freeze-thaw process resulted in statistically significant fewer numbers of S. typhimurium cells when compared to the freeze-thaw process without chemical treatment or to wings chemically treated without the freeze-thaw process.

Total fatty acid composition of duck fatty tissues.

Total lipids extracted from duck fatty tissues were fractionated on thin layer plates into polar lipids and neutral lipids. Neutral lipids were similarly fractionated into their components. Fatty acid methyl esters from total lipids were fractionated by gas-liquid-chromatography. Results indicated that duck fatty tissues are mostly formed by neutral lipids and that triglycerides comprise the vast majority of neutral lipids. Results also indicated that the major fatty acids in duck lipids are: oleic greater than linoleic greater than stearic greater than palmitoleic. About 73% of all fatty acids present belong to the C-18 series. The unsaturation level for duck lipids is about 73%.