Raw whole egg

Raw whole eggs are eggs with their shell that are not heated. Most home used eggs are raw whole eggs. For 60% the egg consists of egg white, 30% is yolk and 10% is shell. The color of the yolk may range from canary yellow to dark orange. This color depends on the feed of the chicken. Generally, the yolk of battery hens has the lightest color. The color is determined by the amount of ß-carotene in food.

Laying

The hens that are used for the egg and meat industry lay about 300 eggs per year. After the eggs have been laid they roll into a gutter. Either they are transported to a stocking place or they are gathered from the gutter twice a day.

Cooling down

After gathering the eggs they are cooled to keep their quality. The temperature of the eggs is 7°C at most. The eggs are stored in this cool temperature on the farm for several days.

Packing and transport

The cooled eggs are packed in cardboard trays to protect the vulnerable eggs from damage. Afterwards they are transported to the factory.

Check cracks

At the factory the eggs are checked for cracks in their shell. This happens by tapping three times against the shell with a small hammer. By means of acoustic diagnostics it is gathered if the shell has a crack. The check on cracks can happen completely automatically. It is important that the leaking eggs are removed. Because of this there is less loss and the continuing process is not influenced by leaky eggs.

Inspecting

The eggs are inspected by classifying them according to quality. The quality determines its final use. The quality is determined by shining with a strong ray of light through the eggs. The yolk of the egg creates a shadow on the egg. The more dark the shadow the older the egg is. According to this method eggs are classified in class A, B and C. Eggs from class A are the youngest eggs. The eggs of class A are sold as new-laid eggs to consumers. Class B is used for the food industry and class C for industrial products and egg products.

Encoding

The eggs of class A are used in the continuation of the process for raw eggs.
The eggs are encoded with a company specific code. This code begins with a number: 0 for biological eggs, 1 for organic eggs, 2 for free-range eggs and 3 for battery eggs. After that follows a letter (combination) that reveals the land of origin. After that follows a five-figure number that stands for the poultry company where the egg has its origin. It is possible that a number follows for the hen-house.

Weighing

After the encoding the eggs are weighed and classified according to weight into four classes:

XL ranging from 73 grams to the most heavy egg
L 63-73 gram
M 53 – 63 gram
S ranging from the lightest egg to the egg of 53 gram

Packing

The final phase is that the eggs are packed in the well-known cardboard boxes. These boxes are created in such a way that the eggs are less vulnerable. The storage life of these eggs is four weeks.

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