LAUSR

BACKROUND Slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) has proven to offer a promising alternative for the inactivation of bacteria on egg surfaces, but the cuticle of the egg is damaged during this disinfection process. However, if SAEW disinfection is followed by chitosan (CS) coating treatment, this will construct a new membrane and prevent the loss of moisture and carbon dioxide through the damaged cuticle. Hence, the objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of SAEW disinfection followed by CS coating treatment at improving the internal quality of eggs during 6 weeks of storage at 25°C. RESULTS Scanning electron microscopy revealed that SAEW-treated eggs had deeper and wider cracks than control eggs stored between 0 d and 21 d. Moreover, the depth and width of the cracks in the uncoated eggs increased as storage time increased. However, the CS coating method was successfully used on SAEW-disinfected eggs to construct a barrier against the negative effects of shell damage. After 6 weeks of storage at 25°C, the yolk index, albumen pH, HU value, and weight loss value of the SAEW + CS group were 0.31, 9.01, 63.72, and 5.35%, respectively. CONCLUSION A combination of SAEW and CS was more effective at maintaining internal egg quality than SAEW or CS treatments alone during storage. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.