Prediction modelling of storage time and quality measurements using visible-near infrared spectra of pasteurized shell eggs

A 12 week study was conducted on the egg albumen from both pasteurized and non-pasteurized shell eggs using visible-near infrared spectroscopy. Prediction models of the chemical changes detected in the spectra to the measurement of Haugh units (measure of interior egg quality) were calculated using principal component regression analysis. Additionally, the study sought to determine how pasteurization affects both shelf life and egg quality. 84 dozen eggs were involved in this study, with 12 dozen eggs scanned initially and biweekly for the remainder of the study. Eggs were stored at 4 °C throughout the study. Haugh unit measurements were conducted followed by the visible/near infrared spectra of the albumen. The changes in the spectra over the 12 week period were very subtle and consisted mainly of an approximately 10 % decrease in transmission across the 400–1,200 nm range. The 400–550 nm region can be used to distinguish between the spectra of control eggs and pasteurized eggs. The results suggest that spectral data can be used to confirm and/or predict the storage time of eggs. The correlation coefficients of the spectra models for storage time are 0.97 and 0.98 for the control (untreated) and pasteurized eggs, respectively. Correlation values for predicting Haugh units from the spectra of the samples resulted in less useful predictive models in this study, especially for pasteurized samples.