What are dietary eggs, categories of eggs, shelf life

What is inside

Eggs are a source of large amounts of protein and calcium. Due to the content of almost all the vitamins necessary for the human body, such as vitamin A, B vitamins and vitamin D, as well as such essential elements as phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, their regular consumption has a beneficial effect on work heart, strengthens and maintains bones, teeth, nervous system, vision and immunity.

Despite their not-too-low calorie content, eggs are a frequent guest on various diet menus. Their rich composition allows you to saturate yourself and get the necessary elements in a small amount of product. Eggs have a nutritional value of 157 kcal (per 100 g). And if you eat only proteins, then only 45 kcal, which is ideal for dietary dishes.

What types of eggs are there?

“There are only ten species of birds in the world from which you can get an egg,” Albert Stehle, a professor at the Department of Poultry Science at the Russian State Agrarian University-Moscow Agricultural Academy named after. K. A. Timiryazeva. — Chickens and quails lay eggs best, so their eggs are produced on an industrial scale. Geese and ducks are five to six times more likely than chickens to suffer from salmonellosis and lay eggs ten times less often, which is why their eggs are not produced for sale in our country.”

Quails have the most powerful immunity, so their eggs are least likely to be infected with anything. Plus, quail eggs contain more microelements and B vitamins than any other. “However, for almost 30 years, quails have been raised in the same way as chickens,” says Albert Stehle. “And the differences between these eggs began to disappear, because the quality of eggs depends 70–80% on the feed. However, in terms of microelements, a quail egg is still the champion - it contains 4.5 times more phosphorus, iron and potassium than a chicken egg.”

In terms of health benefits, quail eggs are not inferior to ostrich eggs. “It’s better to make an omelet from them,” says Tatyana Vostrikova, director of the Russian Ostrich company. “One egg can feed eight to ten people, because raw it weighs more than a kilogram.” You can order the largest edible egg for testing from April to October, when ostriches lay eggs.

What is the difference

Now let’s look at the concept of “diet egg”. This is what they call a product of first freshness. For seven days after the chicken lays it, the egg is considered dietary. At this time, it is most useful, like any fresh product. In addition, the egg, being a known allergen, is a less harmful product in this sense during this period.

After seven days, the eggs become table eggs. They are the ones most often available in abundance on store shelves.

What is the difference between dietary eggs and table eggs? Externally - practically nothing. Diet eggs have a softer and thinner shell. When held up to the light, using a bright light source, you can see that at the blunt end they have a less pronounced air sac than the table ones. This is due to the fact that over time, air enters the egg and the sac enlarges.

When selling, the seller labels dietary and table eggs in accordance with generally accepted rules. This is regulated by relevant laws. The letter “D” stands for dietary eggs, and the letter “C” stands for table eggs. In addition, the production date is always stamped.

How long can you store?

Over time, the shell will become more permeable to light and air. In this regard, it is believed that the older the egg, the less vitamins it retains. The product becomes most vulnerable under the influence of environmental factors.

But regardless of the condition of the shell, the following elements remain unchanged:

• proteins;
• fats;
• water;
• carbohydrates;
• enzymes.

You can determine whether an egg is dietary or not by its appearance. The fresh shell has a matte finish. If the shell is glossy, it means it is already more than seven days old.

The video will tell you about the category of eggs:

What does the egg category mean?

After the letter “D” or “S” on the egg indicate “B”, “O”, “1”, “2” or “3”. This is how the product category is designated. It is assigned to it depending on its size (weight):

• B - the highest category - the weight of each such egg is over 75 grams;
• O - selected eggs - over 65 grams (inclusive) and up to 75;
• 1 - from 55 (inclusive) to 65 grams;
• 2 - from 45 grams (inclusive) to 55;
• 3 - the smallest eggs - from 35 grams to 45.

Now it’s easy to understand what a dietary egg is. Let's give an example. If a product is marked “BEFORE”, this means that the egg, produced no more than seven days ago, is of the selected category, i.e. weighing from 65 to 75 grams.

Dietary eggs: eggs whose shelf life does not exceed 7 days.

Table eggs: eggs whose shelf life at temperatures from 0 °C to 20 °C is from 8 to 25 days, and eggs that were stored in industrial refrigerators at the manufacturing enterprise at temperatures from minus 2 °C to 0 °C are not more than 90 days.

Washed eggs: eggs selected with special detergents approved for use by authorized bodies in the prescribed manner.

Protein that is not firm enough: Protein that flows slightly when poured onto a smooth surface.

Slightly moving yolk from the center: visible, slightly spread out, mobile yolk.

Depending on their shelf life, eggs are classified into the following types:

• dietary;
• dining rooms

Eggs are divided into five categories depending on their weight:

Egg shells must be clean, free of blood stains and droppings, and undamaged.

Allowed:

• on the shell of dietary eggs the presence of single dots or stripes (traces from the contact of eggs with the floor of the cage or a conveyor for collecting eggs);
• on the shell of table eggs - spots, dots and stripes (traces from the contact of eggs with the floor of the cage or a conveyor for collecting eggs), occupying no more than 1/8 of its surface.

It is allowed to treat contaminated eggs with special detergents approved for use by authorized bodies in the prescribed manner.

Eggs intended for long-term storage should not be washed.

The contents of the eggs should not have any foreign odors (rottenness, rottenness, mustiness, etc.).

The content of toxic elements (lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic), antibiotics, pesticides, radionuclides and microbiological indicators in eggs should not exceed the permissible levels established by sanitary and epidemiological rules and regulations [2], indexes 1.1.15; 1.1.15.1; 1.1.15.2.

Marking

Each egg is marked with means approved by authorized bodies in the prescribed manner for contact with food products. Labeling means should not affect the quality of the products. Egg markings should be clear and easy to read.

Eggs are marked by stamping, spraying or any other method that ensures clear marking. The height of numbers and letters indicating the name, category and date of sorting must be at least 3 mm.

It is allowed to put additional information on the eggs (name of the manufacturer or trademark).

Dietary eggs indicate: type of eggs, category and date of sorting (date and month); at canteens - only the type of eggs and category.

The type of eggs when labeled is designated: dietary - D, table - C.

The category of eggs is designated: highest - B, selective - O, first - 1, second - 2, third - 3.

Each packaging unit of consumer packaging is marked with a marking that characterizes the product:

• name and location of the manufacturer (legal address);
• manufacturer's trademark (if available);
• product name, type, category;
• sort date;
• expiration date and storage conditions;
• nutritional value;
• designation of this standard;
• certification information.

It is allowed not to apply markings to eggs packed in consumer containers, provided that the container is sealed with a label with the specified information.

The label must be placed in such a way that it breaks when the consumer container is opened.

The product may be accompanied by other information, including advertising, characterizing the product, the manufacturer, and a bar code may also be applied.

Transport marking - in accordance with GOST 14192 with the application of handling signs “Keep away from moisture”, “Fragile. Caution" and "Top".

For each packaging unit of a transport container, a label is applied to its two end walls with markings characterizing the product:

• name and location of the manufacturer (legal address);
• manufacturer's trademark (if available);
• product name, type, category;
• sort date;
• expiration date and storage conditions;
• designation of this standard;
• certification information.

Package

Containers, packaging materials (lumpy gaskets) and fastening means must comply with the requirements of regulatory documents, be authorized by authorized bodies in the prescribed manner for contact with food products, ensure safety, shell integrity, quality, presentation and guarantee the safety of eggs during transportation and storage.

Eggs are packaged separately by type and category.

Containers, tuberous gaskets, packaging materials and fastening agents must be undamaged, clean, dry, and free of foreign odors.

It is allowed to use other types of containers and packaging, including those purchased for import or made from imported materials, approved by authorized bodies in the prescribed manner for contact with food products and ensuring the safety and quality of eggs during transportation and storage.

Used containers must be treated with disinfectants in accordance with veterinary and sanitary rules approved in the prescribed manner.

Packaging of eggs intended for shipment to the Far North and equivalent areas is in accordance with GOST 15846.

Terms and conditions of storage

This process is of great importance, since failure to comply with it leads to damage to the product. More details:

1. The shelf life of dietary eggs is no more than seven days from the date of production. It is indicated on the label. Conditions: at room temperature up to +20 0C.
2. The shelf life of table eggs is no more than twenty-five days from the date of production. The conditions are the same as in the previous paragraph.
3. When kept in the refrigerator, the shelf life of eggs can be extended to three months.

How to store raw

The shelf life of eggs at home does not differ from those in production. Before purchasing, you should carefully consider the labeling.

To wash or not to wash?

Eggs need to be washed. Many people have heard about such a disease as salmonellosis. This is a dangerous toxic infection. To avoid infection, people deny themselves raw whites and yolks - this is wrong. Salmonella does not live in eggs. This is a practically sterile product.

Salmonella lives in the bird's body, and eggshells are contaminated with microflora

By washing eggs, we make them safe for consumption.

• If you brought one dozen from the store, you can wash it under warm running water and baby soap. Rinse with clean water and leave on a towel until dry. Next, the product is sent to the refrigerator shelf. It is stored for up to 12 days, but not from the moment it is placed in the refrigerator, but from the moment it is laid by the chicken (pay attention to the labeling).
• If eggs are purchased for future use, in 2-3 trays, then they are washed as needed. The trays are installed in a dark, cool closet. They are stored for no more than a month. If necessary, the eggs are washed, dried and placed in the refrigerator.

Do you know that…

At large enterprises, veterinary and sanitary control and the salmonella program operates at several levels (from droppings, litter to washes from equipment and shells). This makes an epidemiological breakthrough impossible. A completely different matter is a farm product where there is no proper control - anything is possible here.

How to store in the refrigerator

The shelf life of chicken eggs in the refrigerator cannot exceed a month. There is no difference:

• which end to store (blunt or sharp);
• on which shelf (top, bottom, side);
• in what container (box, pan, bowl).

The main thing remains that they must be washed. If you drink raw eggs from their shells, you should wash them again before consuming them.

Ways to preserve without refrigeration

1. If there are a lot of chicken eggs and there is no refrigerator, they are stored in pantries or cabinets where the temperature does not exceed 20 °C. The place should not have substances with foreign odors.
2. In rural areas, the eggs are placed in the cellar in a container covered with a lid, and a cloth is thrown over the top. This way they won't smell like vegetables and the cellar.

Before consuming eggs, you need to beat them one by one into a separate container and analyze each one. Only after making sure that the product is of good quality can it be consumed.

Is it possible to save for a long time: myths and reality

You can store chicken eggs for 3 months, but only if the temperature does not exceed 0 °C. Since it is impossible to achieve such temperature indicators at home, the shelf life of the testicles cannot exceed a month.

There are various myths among people saying that eggs can be:

• store in salt, rice;
• pour paraffin;
• wipe with vegetable oil, etc.

All these methods have not found real evidence of storage efficiency. Temperature is the only thing that will ensure the safety of the product.

Features of storing domestic eggs

A domestic egg, if the chicken is not fed feed, is the most valuable product. Compound feeds contain many components (preservatives, stabilizers, pigments, etc.) that are not beneficial. Moreover, they are harmful.

Unfortunately, the state cannot control everything that the manufacturer puts into the feed. Therefore, homemade eggs obtained on natural feed (cereals, succulent feed, skimmed milk, hay) are a very valuable food product. However, there is a danger here too.

No one controls the condition of domestic chickens. The risk of contracting salmonellosis increases. However, if you immediately wash an egg brought from the market, everything will be sterile.

Tip of the day

You can ask the seller if the chickens are laying eggs well - a sick bird does not lay eggs.

Finding out when an egg is laid is difficult. But, taking a closer look at it, you can find out the following:

• A fresh egg, if it is not washed, is matte and has no shine.
• If it's dirty, don't buy it (a dirty chicken coop is not safe).

Homemade eggs are more expensive, but they are worth it. If you have a permanent, trusted supplier, take care of him. Don't buy too much at once. Before consumption, just like store-bought ones, knock them into a container and consume only after making sure they are of good quality.

The shelf life of raw homemade eggs in the refrigerator is the same as in store-bought eggs – a month.

Homemade eggs from chickens that eat natural feed will all be different colors (lighter, darker, except white)

Can it be eaten?

If you have doubts about the freshness of the product, you can check it using the old proven method. Place the egg in a deep container filled with cold water so that it covers the top of the product by two to three centimeters (for example, a glass will do). Add a tablespoon of table salt to the liquid:

1. The freshest egg will immediately sink to the bottom. Now it’s easy to answer the question, what are dietary eggs? That's how they will behave.
2. If the egg remains floating somewhere in the middle, then it can be considered relatively fresh and suitable for consumption. An ordinary table product should behave this way.
3. If an egg lowered into water turns upside down with its blunt end, remaining on the surface and continues to float, then it must be consumed in the next few days.
4. A spoiled or expired product will simply float on the surface of the water. Throw it away without thinking. Poisoning from rotten eggs is very dangerous.

White or brown?

And one more parameter that bothers many when buying eggs: what color product to choose - white or brown? It doesn't really mean anything. From it you can only determine what color the chicken laid a given egg. White chickens produce light eggs, and brown chickens produce dark eggs.

Choose according to your needs. For example, if you need to color eggs for Easter, you will need to use white ones, of course.

Now we know what dietary eggs are and how they differ from table eggs, how to choose the right product based on your needs, how to decide on a category when you see a label with the corresponding designation on the price tag in a store. We can also determine freshness.

What are "enriched eggs"?

Now you can find enriched eggs in stores - with a high content of carotenoids, iodine, selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids. To obtain such eggs, chickens are fed with various nutritional supplements. It is impossible to determine by eye whether an egg really contains all these substances.

Enriched eggs are often marketed as "premium". In fact, premium eggs require strictly controlled conditions for keeping and feeding chickens, confirmed by a special certification system, which we do not yet have.

The inscriptions “bio” and “organic” on packaging are also most often an advertising gimmick. Abroad, this marking means that these are eggs from free-range chickens raised on natural feed rich in chlorophyll. There is a resolution of Rospotrebnadzor on the requirements for organic products, but there is no real certification, so the “eco” badge does not guarantee anything.