Quantification of eggshell microstructure using X-ray micro computed tomography.

1. X-ray microcomputed tomography can be used to produce rapid, fully analysable, three-dimensional images of biological and other materials without the need for complex or tedious sample preparation and sectioning. We describe the use of this technique to visualise and analyse the microstructure of fragments of shell taken from three regions of chicken eggs (sharp pole, blunt pole and equatorial region). 2. Two- and three-dimensional images and data were obtained at a resolution of 1.5 microns. The images were analysed to provide measurements of shell thickness, the spacial density of mammillary bodies, the frequency, shape, volume and effective diameter of individual pore spaces, and the intrinsic sponginess (proportion of non-X-ray dense material formed by vesicles) of the shell matrix. Measurements of these parameters were comparable with those derived by traditional methods and reported in the literature. 3. The advantages of using this technology for the quantification of eggshell microstructural parameters and its potential application for commercial, research and other purposes are discussed.