Egg products are processed in sanitary facilities under a strict system of inspection supervised by the USDA. Regulations require the use of E-3-A and 3-A Sanitary Standards and Accepted Practices for processing equipment. They are also applied to determine acceptance of the design of equipment commonly used in both the dairy and egg products industries. These standards were established by USDA and International Association for Food Protection. Some standards are adaptations of those of the Dairy and Food Industries Supply Association, Inc., and others are unique to the egg industry, such as those for egg-breaking equipment.

For copies of these standards, write to:
International Association for Food Protection
6200 Aurora Avenue, Suite 200W
Des Moines, IA 50322-2838
www.foodprotection.org

Some shell egg processing facilities often have their own breaking facilities. Eggs are received, washed, rinsed, sanitized, and then candled (the process of using quartz halogen light to identify and remove eggs with imperfections). USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)-approved automated equipment enables operators to break, separate, and monitor for quality and imperfections 13,500 dozen (162,000) eggs per hour. Whole or separated eggs are mixed for uniformity and filtered to remove shell fragments, membranes, and chalazae.

For quality assurance purposes, sample eggs may be hand-candled during each session to validate the mechanical candling results, and a sample amount of eggs are broken out and compared. The liquid egg product is filtered, mixed, and chilled before entering further processing stages.

Various times and temperatures are used for effective pasteurization, depending on the product. All egg products are continuously monitored for pathogenic organisms. Pasteurized liquid egg products routinely contain less than 1,000 microorganisms per gram. Salmonella tests are run regularly by the egg products industry and FSIS. Only Salmonella-negative products can be sold.

Yolk and whole egg products are pasteurized in their liquid form. Liquid egg white is pasteurized when sold as a liquid or frozen product. Dehydrated egg white with glucose removed is normally pasteurized by heat treatment in a hot room at 130°F (54.4°C) for seven days.

Refrigerated liquid egg products may be transported directly from the breaking plant to the user in insulated thermal tank trucks or in portable refrigerated vats. For long hauls, mechanical refrigeration, liquid-carbon-dioxide, or liquid-nitrogen cooling systems may be used.

Liquid whole egg and yolk must be maintained below 40°F (4.4°C) and egg white below 45°F (7.2°C). They should be used on a first in, first out, basis.

Refrigerated liquid egg products can be kept at 40°F (4.4°C) for whole eggs and yolks or 45°F (7.2°C) for whites, unopened, for two to six days, depending on the microbial quality of the product. Refrigerated liquid egg products with extended shelf life should be stored according to the processor's recommendations.

Frozen egg products are produced by filling a container with pasteurized chilled liquid egg and freezing in a blast freezer at a temperature of –10° to –40°F (–23.3° to –40°C).

When thawed, frozen whole egg becomes quite fluid and easy to handle, but frozen raw yolk has a gelatinized consistency. However, when yolk is blended with sugar, corn syrup, or salt (usually at levels of 2% to 10%) before freezing, the product will become fluid when thawed.

Frozen egg products have a long shelf life when kept at less than 10°F (–12.2°C). Only as much as needed should be thawed in unopened containers under refrigeration or under cold running water and should be used as soon as possible after thawing.