EFFECT OF EGG STORAGE TEMPERATURE AND HOUSING ON EGG QUALITY

Résumé

This study was aimed at evaluating the effect of egg storage temperature and housing on egg quality. A total of 300 Lohmann brown hen eggs of 50 weeks old from a battery cage and deep litter housing system were collected from the Poultry Division of National Veterinary Research Institute, Plateau State (NVRI) at once for this study. Out of the 300 eggs, (150 eggs from each housing system), 30 were picked at random for determination of egg quality characteristics in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement
in a Completely Randomized Design. The storage methods were room temperature (ambient) range from 26.6 - 29.4 0C and refrigeration at 5°C. External and internal quality characteristics of eggs were taken. Data were analyzed using ANOVA at α0.05. Yolk height was greatly affected by storage days and temperature. Refrigerator temperature had high impact on yolk height for both the battery cage and deep litter (14.57 and 14.83mm) respectively, index (42.61 and 40.74%)and diameter from egg in
cage and deep litter system (while lower values are obtained in yolk height, index and diameter from egg in battery cage system (13.17mm, 35.09% and 34.37mm). Albumen height, length, pH, index and Haugh unit was greatly affected by temperature with room temperature having the following values (6.30mm, 85.70mm 8.58, 7.20% and 72.25%) respectively. Eggs can be kept up to day 10 in both room and refrigerator temperature without any adverse effect on the egg quality.