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Physical Structure and Composition of Eggs: Reported By:group 2

The document summarizes the detailed structure and composition of eggs. It describes the 7 main parts of an egg: 1) shell, 2) air cell, 3) albumen/egg white, 4) chalaza, 5) germinal disc, 6) membranes, and 7) yolk. It then discusses the nutritive value of eggs, providing a nutrient chart, and covers factors that influence egg quality such as grading, size, shell appearance, and the Haugh unit measure of freshness.

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Kathlyn S. Bendaña
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840 views

Physical Structure and Composition of Eggs: Reported By:group 2

The document summarizes the detailed structure and composition of eggs. It describes the 7 main parts of an egg: 1) shell, 2) air cell, 3) albumen/egg white, 4) chalaza, 5) germinal disc, 6) membranes, and 7) yolk. It then discusses the nutritive value of eggs, providing a nutrient chart, and covers factors that influence egg quality such as grading, size, shell appearance, and the Haugh unit measure of freshness.

Uploaded by

Kathlyn S. Bendaña
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Physical

Structure and
Composition of
Eggs

Reported by :Group 2
We normally
distinguish 3
parts of an
egg, the
shell, the
egg white,
and the egg
yolk, but a
closer
scrutiny
reveals a
much more
detailed
structure of
an egg.
Structure
– 1. Shell. The egg‘s outer covering, the shell, accounts for about 9 to 12 %
of its total weight depending on egg size. The shell is the egg‘s first line of
defense against bacterial contamination. The shell is produced by the shell
gland (uterus) of the oviduct, and has an outer coating, the bloom or
cuticle. The cuticle somewhat seals the pores and is useful in reducing
moisture losses and in preventing bacterial penetration of the egg shell.
– 2. Air cell. This is the empty space between the white and shell at the
large end of the egg which is barely existent in newly laid egg. When an egg
is first laid, it is warm. As it cools, the contents contract and the inner shell
membrane separate from the outer shell membrane to form the air cell.
– 3. Albumen/Egg white. Albumen, also called egg white, accounts for
most of an egg‘s liquid weight, about 67%. This is produced by the oviduct
and consists of four alternating layers of thick and thin consistencies. From
the yolk outward, they are designated as the inner thick or chalaziferous
white, the inner thin white, the outer thick white and the outer thin white.
The outer thin white is a narrow fluid layer next to the shell membrane.
The outer thick white is a gel that forms the center of the albumen. The
inner thin white is a fluid layer located next to the yolk. The inner thick
white (chalasiferous layer) is a dense, matted, fibrous capsule terminates
on each end in the chalazae, which are twisted in opposite directions and
serve to keep the yolk centered.
– 4. Chalaza. This is the ropey strands of egg white at both sides of the egg,
which anchor the yolk in place in the center of the thick white. They are
sometimes mistaken for egg imperfections or beginning embryos, which of
course they are not. The twist in the chalaza is meant to keep the germinal
disc always on top whichever way the egg may turn. The more prominent
the chalazae the fresher is the egg.
– 5. Germinal Disc. This is the entrance of the latebra, the channel leading to
the center of the yolk. The germinal disc is barely noticeable as a slight
depression on the surface of the yolk. When the egg is fertilized, sperm
enter by way of the germinal disc, travel to the center and a chick embryo
starts to form. Since table eggs are not fertilized, this is not as easy to
recognize as when the egg is fertilized.
– 6. Membranes. There are two kinds of membranes, one just under the
shell and the other covering the yolk. These are the shell membrane and the
vitelline membrane. Just inside the shell are two shell membranes, inner
and outer. The air cell formed due to the contraction of egg as it cools, is
found between the two layers of this shell membrane. The outer membrane
sticks to the shell while the inner membrane sticks to the albumen. During
storage, the egg losses water by evaporation, causing the air cell to enlarge.
The vitelline membrane is the covering that protects the yolk from breaking.
The vitelline membrane is weakest at the germinal disc and tends to
become more fragile as the egg ages. Every cook has experienced that the
yolk of eggs that are no longer fresh easily break.
– 7. Yolk. The yolk or the yellow to yellow- orange portion makes up about
33% of the liquid weight of the egg. The egg yolk is formed in the ovary. On
the surface of the yolk, there is a small white spot about 2 mm in diameter.
This is the germinal disc and it is present even if the egg is infertile. In
infertile eggs, the germinal disc contains the genetic material from the hen
only but when fertilized, it contains the zygote that will eventually develop
into a chick. The yolk material serves as a food source for embryonic
development. It contains all the fat in the egg and a little less than half of
the protein. The main protein in the egg yolk is vitelline, a lipoprotein. It
also contains phosvitin which is high in phosphorus and has antioxidant
properties, and livetin which is high in sulfur.
Composition of an Egg

Nutritive Value of Egg


– Egg is indeed one of nature‘s complete food. It contains high
quality protein with all the essential amino acids, all of the vitamins
except vitamin C, and many minerals. Egg products are particularly
good for fortifying food low in protein quality. Except for mother‘s
milk, eggs provide the best protein naturally available. Egg protein
is often used as a reference standard for biological values of their
proteins.
Egg Nutrient Chart
Egg quality
– Egg quality has two general components: shell quality (exterior quality)
and interior egg quality. Interior egg quality has direct bearing on the
functional properties of eggs while shell quality has direct influence on
microbiological quality.
– Egg Grading. Grading is a form of quality control used to classify eggs for
exterior and interior quality. In the Philippines, the grade designations
are A, B, C, and D.
– Egg Size. Several factors influence the size of the egg: breed, age of hen,
weight, feed and environmental factors. Native chickens have much smaller
eggs than commercial breeds. Some commercial breeds have bigger eggs
than others. Of the same breed, new layers tend to have smaller eggs
compared to older hens. Pullets that are significantly underweight at sexual
maturity will also produce small eggs. Better fed hens lay larger eggs than
underfed ones. The environmental factors that lead to smaller eggs are
heat, stress and overcrowding. The egg sizes are Jumbo, Extra Large, Large,
Medium, Small and Peewee. Medium, Large, and Extra Large are the sizes
commonly available.
– The appearance of the egg, as influenced by severity of defects, is
important for consumer appeal. Egg shells are evaluated on the basis of
cleanliness, shape, texture, and soundness. The unit for describing egg
freshness, based on the thickness of the albumen is called Haugh unit
with a symbol of HU named before Raymond Haugh in 1937.

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