Packaged whole egg powder loses quality during long-term storage.

Shelf life studies on whole egg powder usually extend for no more than one year, which is the generally accepted shelf life of this commodity. However, egg products are available in the retail market which have been packaged as long-term storage items for emergency use.

So, research is needed to determine the effects of long-term storage on the quality of whole egg powder. Scientists at Brigham Young University investigated the quality of retail packaged whole egg powder that had been held at ambient temperatures for up to 32 years. Unfortunately, they determined that the powder is not capable of retaining a high percentage of consumer acceptance during extended storage and should not be recommended for long-term storage purposes.

In their research, the scientists obtained 20 samples of product packaged in No. 10 cans from donors. The samples ranged in age from 2 months to 32 years. A 52-member consumer panel evaluated reconstituted scrambled powder for its appearance, aroma and overall acceptability using a nine-point hedonic scale. Its acceptance for use in everyday and emergency situations was also determined. Analyses involved can headspace oxygen, headspace hexanal, water activity and color.

The headspace oxygen for most samples was less than 0.5%, although five samples ranged from 11.2% to 20.8%. Headspace hexanal ranged from 2.3 serum immunoglobulin (ig) per g to 8.9 ig per g for samples with less than 0.5% headspace oxygen, and from 38.4 ig per g to 98.0 ig per g for the other five samples. Water activity ranged from 0.13 to 0.41. Hunter L* values ranged from 77.4 to 88.0. Hedonic scores for appearance, aroma and overall acceptability for the two-month-old sample were significantly higher than scores for all of the other samples.

Acceptance for everyday use ranged from 4% to 89%, with the majority of samples garnering less than 25% acceptance. For emergency use, the two-month sample had a 97% rate of acceptance, while the other samples' acceptance rates ranged from 52% to 89%.

Further information. Michelle Lloyd, Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science, Brigham Young University, S168 ESC, Provo, UT 84602; phone: [phone]; fax: [phone]; email: [e-mail].