Conservation of the internal quality of eggs using a biodegradable coating.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a pectin biofilm on the preservation of refrigerated and unrefrigerated eggs during 5 wk of storage based on egg weight loss, albumen height, Haugh unit (HU), and the yolk index (YI). A total of 1,200 nonfertile eggs from GLK Bankiva laying hens (40 wk of age), which were freshly laid and came from a single collection, were obtained from a model poultry rearing system (Planaltina, Federal District, Brazil) that meets all animal welfare criteria. The experimental outline was entirely randomized, with 20 treatments in a factorial scheme of 2 × 2 × 5, with 2 biofilm treatments (with and without) × 2 storage temperatures (refrigeration: 5°C and ambient: 25°C) × 5 storage periods (7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 d), with 12 repetitions per treatment. Starting from the third storage week, increased weight loss (%) was observed in noncoated eggs (4.46 ± 1.06; 5.61 ± 1.37; 6.93 ± 1.66%) compared with biofilm-coated eggs (3.57 ± 1.26; 4.74 ± 1.8; 6.05 ± 2.21%), respectively. The HU variation in the pectin-coated eggs (86.84-78.02) was smaller than that in the noncoated eggs (83.01-64.36) between the beginning (7 d) and the end (35 d) of the experimental period. Eggs with and without biofilm stored in the refrigerator presented average HU values of 91.26 ± 6.27 and 88.35 ± 6.96, respectively. In contrast, when kept at room temperature, eggs with the coating presented higher HU values (71.27 ± 10.78) than eggs without the coating (59.11 ± 15.97). Coated eggs (0.37 ± 0.16) showed higher YI values than noncoated eggs (0.35 ± 0.16). A pectin-based biofilm effectively maintained egg quality during the 35 d of storage.

Effects of different egg turning frequencies on incubation efficiency parameters.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different egg turning frequencies on incubation efficiency parameters. Nine hundred sixty brown fertile eggs, with an average weight of 52.20 ± 0.85 g, from 38-week-old CJD (Carijó Pesadão) breeder hens were randomly distributed among 4 treatments before incubation. Each treatment corresponded to a turning frequency, being 24 (control), 12, 6, or 3 times per day, at an angle of 45°, until day 18 of incubation. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with 4 treatments. Analysis of the incubation parameters was based on 6 replications per treatment. The eggs that were turned 12, 6, and 3 times per day exhibited a decrease in hatchability of the fertile eggs of 6.61, 15.51, and 19.70%, respectively, when compared with the control group (91.84 ± 2.73%). With a decrease in turning frequency, there was a gradual increase in early (2.84 ± 1.89 to 14.31 ± 1.82%) and late (3.57 ± 1.39 to 8.05 ± 1.24%) mortality rates. An egg turning frequency of 24 times per day during incubation provided high hatchability rates. In contrast, the turning frequencies of 12, 6, and 3 times per day showed significant losses in hatchability.

Alternative sanitizers to paraformaldehyde for incubation of fertile eggs.

The aim of this study was to evaluate an ethanolic extract of propolis and clove essential oil as a substitute for paraformaldehyde for the sanitation of fertile eggs. In total, 1,800 hatching eggs (from 40-week-old CPK [Pesadão Vermelho] breeder hens) were randomly distributed among the treatments (grain alcohol, clove essential oil, ethanolic extract of propolis, and paraformaldehyde). Spraying was the application method for all treatments except for paraformaldehyde, for which fumigation was used. The experimental design was a randomized block design with 4 treatments. Analysis of the incubation parameters was based on 6 replications per treatment. The egg weight loss was lower in the eggs treated with ethanolic extract of propolis (8.59 ± 3.34%) than in the eggs treated with grain alcohol (13.40 ± 2.87%), clove essential oil (12.96 ± 3.33%), and paraformaldehyde (13.05 ± 3.24%). The hatchability of the fertile eggs (51.39 ± 5.81%) and the hatchability of the set eggs (44.74 ± 6.79%) were negatively affected by the application of ethanolic extract of propolis. Late mortality of eggs treated was higher than early mortality in the grain alcohol (12.14 ± 4.72%; 2.86 ± 3.30%), clove essential oil (4.60 ± 5.95%; 3.03 ± 3.50%), and ethanolic extract of propolis (36.63 ± 6.60%, 11.98 ± 4.30%) treatments. The eggs treated with clove essential oil (67.90 ± 1.87%), paraformaldehyde (67.80 ± 1.85%), or grain alcohol (67.50 ± 1.92%) presented chick yields as expected. However, despite the ideal yield of eggs treated with ethanolic extract of propolis (69.25 ± 1.68%), its application at the concentration used in the present research is not recommended. Clove essential oil, when sprayed on fertile eggs as a sanitizing agent, did not differ from paraformaldehyde in relation to hatchery performance parameters.