Effects of pullulan, beet, and Artemisia princeps coatings on quality of table eggs during room temperature storage.

The objective of this experiment was to investigate effects of pullulan (PL), beet (BT), and Artemisia princeps (AP) coatings on quality of table eggs during room temperature storage. A total of 1,200 non-fertile eggs were collected from 48-wk-old Hy-Line Brown laying hens. These eggs were randomly allotted to 4 treatments with 6 replicates consisting of 10 eggs per replicate. A total of 60 eggs per treatment were analyzed weekly throughout the study. Uncoated eggs were used for the CON group, while eggs coated with PL, BT, and AP were used for PL, BT, and AP groups, respectively. Results indicated that BT and AP groups exhibited greater (P < 0.05) Haugh unit than CON and PL groups. Albumen height was greater (P < 0.05) in PL, BT, and AP groups than in the CON group. PL, BT, and AP groups had greater (P < 0.05) yolk height than the CON group. The yolk index was less (P < 0.05) in PL and CON groups than in BT and AP groups. Albumen and yolk pH were greater (P < 0.05) in PL, BT, and AP groups than in the CON group. The foam volume was increased (P < 0.05) in all coated groups compared to that in the CON group. PL and AP groups had greater (P < 0.05) total microbial counts than CON and BT groups. In conclusion, PL-based egg coatings, particularly those blended with AP, were effective in maintaining egg quality and egg freshness during room temperature storage.