Egg Safety in the Realm of Preharvest Food Safety

Eggs are nutritious, yet they are a highly perishable commodity like other protein sources such as meat. Even though steps are taken all along the production process of shell eggs, from farm to table, the potential for contamination of the shells and egg contents poses a high risk to consumers. The...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Microbiology spectrum 2016-08, Vol.4 (4)
Main Authors: Singh, Manpreet, Brar, Jagpinder
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Husbandry
Animal Husbandry - methods
Animals
Chickens
Chickens - growth & development
Chickens - microbiology
Eggs
Eggs - microbiology
Food Microbiology
Food Safety
Food Safety - methods
Humans
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Eggs are nutritious, yet they are a highly perishable commodity like other protein sources such as meat. Even though steps are taken all along the production process of shell eggs, from farm to table, the potential for contamination of the shells and egg contents poses a high risk to consumers. The main sources of contamination can be categorized as vertical transmission, in which the layers can be carriers of pathogens and can pass them on during egg formation, and horizontal transmission, in which environmental factors such as water, feed, layer houses, and personnel are the main source of contamination. Ongoing preharvest practices might not be enough to completely eliminate pathogens from shell eggs; however, consistently following good practices along with proper handling during transportation and retail sale and by consumers can be significant in reducing the risk. This article discusses the various aspects of production practices, their potential for cross-contamination, and decontamination technologies for shell eggs.
ISSN:2165-0497
2165-0497
DOI:10.1128/microbiolspec.PFS-0005-2014