10

Department of Education
National Capital Region
SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE
MARIKINA CITY

TLE - Home Economics

Cookery NC II
First Quarter - Module 3
Characteristics and Qualities of Fresh Egg

Leslie C. Lumampao
Writers:
Alicia P. Marcelo

Cover Illustrator: Christopher E. Mercado

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 What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you
develop knowledge, skills, and attitudes in the performance of Cookery tasks. The
scope of this module permits it to be used in many different learning situations. The
language used recognizes the diverse vocabulary level of students. The lessons are
arranged to follow the standard sequence of the course

The module contain lesson in:

LO 1-Perform mise en place
Lesson 3- Characteristics and Qualities of Fresh Egg

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. enumerate characteristics of fresh eggs;
2. classify different types of eggs;
3. discuss methods to be used in determining the freshness of egg; and
4. identify good qualities of fresh egg.

What I Know
In your own words explain the following terms below. (5 points each).
1. Qualities
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
2. Nutrients
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
3. Recipe
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Characteristics and
Lesson 3
Qualities of Fresh Eggs
The physical characteristics of the egg play an important role in the processes
of embryo development and successful hatching. The most influential egg parameters
are weight, shell thickness and porosity, shape index, described as maximum
breadth to length ratio, and the consistency of the contents.

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 What’s In

When broken out of the shell, good quality, fresh eggs display certain
characteristics: The yolk is small and rounded and stands high in a thick, gel-like
egg white which tends to stay compact rather than spread out over a wide area. As
eggs age, the yolk absorbs water from the white and becomes larger and flatter.

Notes to the Teacher

Guide learners to enable them gain knowledge and
understanding in the different characteristics and qualities of
fresh eggs.

What’s New
Ask learners to give one risk in the preparation of cooking eggs and give
some guidelines pertaining to food safety.

What is It

Characteristics and Qualities of Fresh Eggs

All eggs sold and bought must meet strict standards. As much as possible
only those of high quality must reach the consumer. One can check the high quality
and freshness by noting the egg’s appearance when broken. The following are
characteristics of fresh eggs:
➢ It should be clean, uniform in size and sound-shelled
➢ It should be plain, free from stain, odor or feces
➢ Shell should be rough, chalky and unbroken
➢ It should sink in water
➢ It should have firm, round and well-centered yolk
➢ It should have light and thick white part
➢ It has small air cell (less than 5mm deep)

Types of Eggs
Here is a breakdown of what those term mean, so you can feel well informed
when buying the best eggs for your family.

1. Conventional eggs
Conventional eggs are the least expensive, everyday eggs. These hens are
raised in conventional cages, According to strict standards for cleanliness and
unlimited access to clean water and food.

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2. Free Run Eggs
Free Run hens are free to roam around the barn floor beyond the confines of
a cage. They have twice as much space per bird as conventionally raised hens, nest
areas to lay their eggs, perches and scratching pads, but they don’t have access to
the outdoors.

3. Free-Range Eggs
Free-Range hens live the same cage-free lifestyle plus access to the outdoors
for at least six hours per day, as weather permits.

4. Organic Eggs
Organic hens also live in a cage-free in barns and have access to the outdoors,
with even more space per bird. Their feed must be 100% certified organic.

5. Enriched or Enhanced Eggs

Some hens are fed special diet high in certain nutrients, which adds
nutritional benefits to the eggs they lay. For examples (Omega-3 Enriched eggs comes
from hens that are fed foods like flax, seeds or fish oil).

How to Determine Quality Fresh Eggs Methods to be used are:

A. Candling
To check the position of the yolk, size of air cell and blood spot, eggs are held
before a source of light.
B. Gross Examination of the eggs
Fresh eggs have rough shells which are dull. Stored eggs are smooth and
shiny.

C. Clicking together
Good eggs have bell like tone. Cracked eggs have a flat tone .

D. Water test
When eggs are placed in a bowl of water, fresh eggs will sink, and stale eggs
will float.

E. Breaking
Fresh eggs have clear, thick, firm white which holds closely to yolk when
broken. The yolk is well-rounded, high in mind center and does not break. Not
practical way to use in the market.

Shell quality: texture, color, shape and condition

The ideal shape of an egg as established by tradition and by practical
considerations.

Shell quality characteristics that must be considered are as follows:

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 ➢ cleanliness
➢ soundness (unbroken)
➢ smoothness
➢ shape

The two most desirable shell qualities, cleanliness and soundness, are largely
controlled by the production and handling of eggs. Eggs with shell defects should be
removed from eggs destined to the retail trade. Clearly, consumers have adverse
reactions to cracked or dirty eggs. Even if the cracks in an egg are only visible when
candling, the micro-cracks may have serious consequences on quality. These eggs
may be sold locally and possibly only a few hours after lay.
When the membrane is broken as well as the shell, the contents of the eggs
can leak, and therefore the only practicable market outlet is sale as egg pulp. If the
eggs are dirty, for example, with blood or faces, consumers will react unfavorably to
them. Although shell color is no indication of quality, consumers in some markets
may prefer white eggs or brown eggs. In such circumstances, it advisable to sort eggs
by shell color.

Yolk and albumen quality

In quality eggs the yolk should be round, firm and stand up well, and be yellow
in color. There is often prejudice against very pale or deeply colored yolks, however,
there are some exceptions. In some Italian markets, for example, red yolks are a
strong selling point. The yolk should have a pleasant, mild egg odor and flavor and
should be surrounded by a large amount of upstanding thick white with only a small
amount of thin white. The egg white should have the normal slightly green-yellow
color, though it may be slightly cloudy in appearance.

Consumers are generally very critical of any abnormal conditions in the egg yolk
and white. Factors that may cause loss of quality are as follows:
➢ natural factors
➢ temperature
➢ humidity
➢ time
➢ handling
➢ storage
➢ tainting

Natural factors, for example, can be blood spots, which may range from small
specks to a square centimeter in size. They may vary in color from light grey to bright
red and may be found in the yolk or in the egg white. "Blood eggs", with blood diffused
throughout the white or spread around the yolk, are not commonly found and are
generally rejected by the consumer.

Deterioration
The changes that occur in eggs stored for a week to ten days at a temperature
between 27° and 29° C are comparable to those that occur in similar eggs in cold
storage for several months at a temperature of - 1° C. The effect of temperature and

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storage on eggs can be seen in Photograph 8. The typical appearance of eggs stored
up to 13 weeks at temperatures varying from 10° to 46° C can also be seen in this
photograph. In advanced stages of deterioration, the thick white may disappear
entirely, and the yolk may enlarge to the point where its membranes are so weakened
that it breaks when the egg is opened. Changes in odor and flavor take three or four
weeks at a temperature of 21° C, or six to seven weeks at a temperature of 10° C to
become noticeable to the ordinary consumer.

Temperature, humidity, air movement and storage time can all have adverse
effects on interior quality. These factors, if not controlled, can cause loss of moisture
in eggs. Loss of water through the porous shell will mean loss of weight. A loss of
weight of two to three percent is common in marketing eggs and is hardly noticeable
to consumers. However, enlarged air cells and a decreased size of egg contents
become noticeable when losses exceed this extent. Coating eggs with oil and other
substances and storing them at low temperatures and high humidity may control
moisture loss.

The best conditions for storage are at a temperature of about - 1° C and relative
humidity between 80 and 85 percent. At a temperature of 10° C, lower relative
humidity is needed, between 75 and 80 percent. At all temperatures there is the risk
of mold spoilage where the relative humidity is too high. Packaging materials that
are too dry or are excessively moist and absorbent will also accentuate evaporation
losses.

The contents of eggs when just laid are usually sterile and contain few
organisms capable of causing spoilage even when the shells are slightly dirty or
stained. The main cause of spoilage by bacteria is the washing of dirty eggs before
marketing. When the egg is washed, organisms from water - usually bacteria - can
penetrate the shell. Once inside they multiply and eventually spoil the egg, causing
green, black and red rots. Even when eggs become wet without any cleaning process,
for example, by condensation after removal from refrigerated storage into a warm
temperature, conditions may be favorable for the penetration of micro-organisms and
rotting may follow. When eggs are kept dry, no such way is provided for bacteria to
penetrate the shell.

Mold spores normally present on eggshells may, if sufficient time elapses,

germinate and grow, penetrating the shell and causing spoilage. Generally, this
occurs only when eggs are in cold storage for several months or more under
conditions of high humidity (above 85 percent). It can occur, however, at any
temperature if the humidity is sufficiently high and the holding time long enough.

Eggs can easily be tainted by strong odors from kerosene, gasoline, diesel oil,
paint and varnish, and by such fruit and vegetables as apples, onions and potatoes.
Special care must therefore be taken in storage, packaging materials and transport
facilities used.

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Quality Maintenance
Maintaining fresh egg quality from producer to consumer is one of the major
problems facing those engaged in marketing eggs. Proper attention to production,
distribution and point-of-sale phases are of vital importance in maintaining egg
quality.

Production factors
The main production factors that affect quality maintenance are the following:
➢ breed
➢ age
➢ feed
➢ management
➢ disease control
➢ handling/collecting eggs
➢ housing

Breed. The breed of the laying hen affects shell color; for example, Leghorns produce
white eggs, while Rhode Island Reds produce brown eggs. The following egg quality
factors are partly inherited: shell texture and thickness, the incidence of blood spots
and the upstanding quality and relative amount of thick albumen. Though it may
not always be possible, a consistent policy of selection for breeds by egg producers
can bring noticeable improvements to quality.

Age. Birds typically begin producing eggs in their twentieth or twenty-first week and
continue for slightly over a year. This is the best laying period and eggs tend to
increase in size until the end of the egg production cycle. Birds lay fewer eggs as they
near the moulting period. In the second year of lay, eggs tend to be of lower quality.

Feed. Egg quality and composition derive primarily from what a layer is fed. In terms
of taste, for example, eggs laid by hens fed on fishmeal will have a "fishy" taste. The
type of feed will also influence the shell of an egg and the color of the yolk. Layers
must be kept away from certain plant foods if egg color defects are to be avoided.
These may include cottonseed meal and the foliage of the sterculiaceae and
malvaceae such as mallow weed. Regular access to fresh or high-quality dehydrated
green feed helps birds to produce eggs with a uniform yellow yolk. Yellow maize,
alfalfa meal, and fresh grass provide good pigment sources for a normal yellowish-
orange yolk color.

Management. Good general management of the laying flock can improve egg quality.
If birds are treated correctly and not put under conditions of stress they will produce
properly.

Disease control. Diseases influence egg quality. Infectious bronchitis and Newcastle
disease, for example, will cause birds to lay eggs with poor quality shells and with
extremely poor-quality albumen. Many of the birds continue to lay poor quality eggs
even after recovery. Effective vaccines should be administered.

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Handling/collecting eggs. Frequent collection is essential each day in order to limit
the number of dirty and damaged eggs and also to prevent the hens from eating the
eggs. Careful handling is necessary in order to avoid breakage.

Laying house. The number of dirty eggs produced can be reduced significantly by
providing good housing and clean nests for the layers. Cleaning and hygiene
operations should be carried out frequently.

Measures to prevent deterioration during marketing

Temperature. By far the most effective method of minimizing deterioration of quality

in eggs is to keep them at temperatures below 13° C. Eggs should never be left
standing in the sun or in a room that gets very hot at some point in the day, but
should be moved into shaded, well-ventilated rooms and underground cellars as
quickly as possible. Various methods to prevent deterioration by temperature are
shown below.

1. A simple method is covering eggs with green leaves, so as to reduce temperature.

2. A method commonly used is that of putting eggs in a porous pot where the
outside of the pot is kept damp. Great care should be taken, however, to avoid
the excess use of water, which could trickle down to the bottom of the pot
damaging the eggs at the bottom.

3. Eggs can be kept in a wide-mouthed earthen pot that is buried in the ground up
to half of its height. The inside of the pot is lined with a thin layer of grass to
prevent the eggs being spoiled by excess moisture. Eggs are placed in the pot as
soon as they are collected and the top covered with a thin cloth to facilitate the
exchange of air. A layer of sand and earth is spread around the earthen pot and
water is sprinkled on it frequently during the day. The eggs are turned once a
day to prevent the internal yolk of the egg from sticking to one side of the eggshell.
Such a system may reduce the egg temperature by 8° C below the temperature
outside the pot.

4. Another method that can be used which is ideal for dry climates makes use of
the cooling effect of evaporation. Baskets of eggs are stored in a small wooden or
wire-frame cupboard. A water tray is kept on top of the box and pieces of sacking
are placed in the tray and arranged so that they hang on all sides of the box.
More elaborate versions with arrangements for a steady dripping of water on to
the sacking can be developed.

5. Refrigerated storerooms can be used if electricity is available. An example of a

refrigerated storeroom is shown below. If refrigerated storehouses are not
economically viable, the use of electric fans may be appropriate.

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 What’s More
Answer the following questions. (5 points each)

1. What are the qualities of a fresh egg?

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

2. What method will you use to determine the qualities of eggs? And why?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

What I Have Learned

Explain each factor that may cause the loss of qualities of an egg.

1. natural factors -
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
2. temperature -
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. humidity -
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
4. time -
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
5. handling -
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
6. storage -
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
7. tainting -
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

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 What I Can Do
Make a pictorial report with illustration showing the qualities of a fresh egg in
terms of egg size and grading. Use the box below.

Assessment
Write letter T if the statement is correct and letter F if the statement is
incorrect.

______1. A quality fresh egg should be smooth and unbroken

______2. A quality fresh egg should sink in water
______3. A quality fresh egg has stain and odor
______4. A quality fresh egg has big air cell
______5. A quality fresh egg has light and thick white part
______6. Egg quality and composition derive primarily from what a layer is fed
______7. Eggs can be kept in a wide-mouthed earthen pot that is buried in the
ground up to half of its height
_______8. Cleaning and hygiene operations should be carried out frequently.
_______9. Birds typically begin producing eggs in their twentieth or twenty-first
week and continue for slightly over a year.
______10. Good eggs have bell like tone. Cracked eggs have a flat tone.

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 Additional Activities

Online Activity- Search the steps on how to maintain fresh egg quality from
producer to consumer. Be ready to discuss this on our next virtual session.
Offline Activity- Look for the cookery books and search the steps on how to
maintain fresh egg quality from producer to consumer. Write down your answer on
the space provided below.
Step 1:___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

Step 2:___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Step 3:___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Step 4:___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Step 5:___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

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ANSWER KEY

10. T 5. T
9. T 4. F
8. T 3. F
7. T 2. T
6. T 1. F

Assessment

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 References
Books
Cookery Volume II TVL Track K to 12, A.H. Rondilla, E.S. Avendaño, E.P Roque
Online Sources
https://www.lefoodist.com/guides/cooking-classes-paris/cookingparis148.html
https://www.google.com/search?hl=en-
PH&authuser=0&ei=M8LyXsNFpvnwQPc7pD4Cw&q=what+is+the+importance+of+i
ngredients+in+cooking+egg+dishes&oq=What
+is+the+importance+of+ingredients+in+cooking+egg+&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQAxgA
MgUIIRCgATIFCC
EQoAE6BAgAEEc6CAghEBYQHRAeOg4IABDqAhC0AhCaARDlAjoICAAQsQMQkQI6
BQgAEJECOgUIABCx
AzoCCAA6BAgAEEM6BQgAEIMBOggIABAWEAoQHjoGCAAQFhAeUO2pAVjC4wJgoe
8CaAFwAXgEgAH
gAogB-k-SAQkwLjQyLjE0LjKYAQCgAQGqAQdnd3Mtd2l6sAEG&sclient=psy-ab
https://www.google.com/search?hl=enPH&authuser=0&ei=HrXyXv2yJdj4hwOqgJS
4CQ&q=qualities+of+eggs&oq=qualities+of+eggs&gs_lcp
=CgZwc3ktYWIQAzICCAAyAggAMgYIABAWEB4yBggAEBYQHjIGCAAQFhAeMgYIAB
AWEB4yBggAEBYQ
HjIGCAAQFhAeMgYIABAWEB4yBggAEBYQHjoECAAQRzoECAAQQzoOCAAQ6gIQtA
IQmgEQ5QI6BQgA
EJECOgUIABCxAzoFCAAQgwE6BwgAELEDEEM6CAgAELEDEJECUJ3XMFiLmzFgj
6QxaAFwAXgEgAGBB4
gBoTuSAQ0wLjkuNi4xLjIuMC40mAEAoAEBqgEHZ3dzLXdperABBg&sclient=psyab
&ved=0ahUKEwj9uanhrpnqAhVY_GEKHSoABZcQ4dUDCAw&uact=5
http://www.fao.org/3/Y4628E/y4628e04.htm
https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/good-eggs-for-nutrition-theyre-hard-
tobeat#:~:text=One%20egg%20has%20only%2075,nutrients%20like%20lutein%20a
nd%20zeaxanthin.

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 Development Team of the Module

Writers: Leslie C. Lumampao (MHS)

Alicia P. Marcelo (MHS)
Editors:
Katherine T. Santos (CISSL)
Nerissa S. Estrella (ASP II/OIC - MNHS)
Bernadette L. Nepomuceno (Subject Coordinator, SNNHS)
Internal Reviewer: Joseph T. Santos, (Education Program Supervisor-EPP/TLE)
Layout Artist: Khrycys G. Olairez (BNHS)
Management Team:
Sheryll T. Gayola
Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
OIC, Office of the Schools Division Superintendent

Elisa O. Cerveza
Chief, Curriculum Implementation Division
OIC, Office of the Assistant Schools Division Superintendent

Joseph T. Santos
Education Program Supervisor-EPP/ TLE

Ivy Coney A. Gamatero

EPS – Learning Resource Management and Development System

For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Schools Division Office- Marikina City

Email Address: [email protected]

191 Shoe Ave., Sta. Elena, Marikina City, 1800, Philippines

Telefax: (02) 682-2472 / 682-3989

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