Eggs now pasteurised too
Last updated: Thursday, February 05, 2009 PrintUndercooked eggs have always been top of the list of foods to avoid if you're pregnant or immune compromised. But thanks to a group of innovative South African researchers, moms-to-be and other health-conscious consumers can now safely enjoy raw and soft-boiled shell eggs.
Most of us link dairy products to pasteurisation – a process that partly sterilises food at a temperature that destroys harmful micro-organisms without causing major chemical changes.
But did you know that it's also possible to pasteurise shell eggs?
Researchers from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in South Africa, in collaboration with the South African company Safe Eggs, have successfully developed a pasteurisation system that greatly reduces the risk of Salmonella infection acquired from eggs. This led to the first sales of pasteurised, whole shell eggs, or "safe eggs", in South Africa in 2008.
Salmonella out of control
Salmonellosis is a worldwide health problem and, in the United States, the second leading cause of bacterial food-borne illness.
Approximately 95% of human salmonellosis cases are associated with the consumption of contaminated food products such as eggs, poultry, meat, milk, seafood and fresh produce. Right now, a major salmonella outbreak that has been traced to peanut butter is making headlines in the States.
Eggs are a notorious source of salmonella bacteria. In fact, the World Health Organisation (WHO) cites infected eggs as contributing up to 40% of reported food poisoning cases in Europe. But while the poultry industry is aware that the risk for salmonellosis isn't under control at this stage, there just isn't sufficient manpower to regulate and monitor infections.
Locally, a huge concern is that infections aren't recorded and that salmonellosis therefore cannot be monitored, says Ewerd Ras, business manager of Safe Eggs. As an estimated 13 million eggs are consumed in South Africa every day, it clearly is an issue worth taking note of.
Furthermore, with increased restrictions on chronic feed antibiotics administered to chickens, the incidence of salmonella and other pathogens is rising.
Risk for birth defects, miscarriage
It's crucial to cut the risk of salmonellosis, especially during pregnancy, as the harmful food-borne bacteria can penetrate the foetus’ bloodstream via the placenta. Research shows that Salmonella enteritidis and Salmonella typhimurium can, in this way, lead to birth defects and miscarriage.
Eggs may be contaminated with Salmonella in two ways: 1) through bacteria that are present within the hen's ovary or oviduct before the shell forms around the yolk and white; and 2) through bacteria from the hen's faeces, which cling to the outside of the shell and which may contaminate the egg when the shell is cracked.
Pregnant women, who are generally advised to avoid raw eggs, often think they're safe if they simply steer clear of health shakes or other egg-containing beverages. But raw or undercooked eggs can also be found in a myriad of other foods, such as chocolate mousse, tiramisu, homemade nougat, home-made ice cream, hollandaise sauce and mayonnaise. These foods all pose a salmonellosis risk.
Pregnant women aren't the only group that needs to be concerned, however. While most healthy adults recover from salmonellosis without the use of antibiotics, the associated gastrointestinal symptoms (e.g. vomiting and diarrhoea) can become so severe that hospitalisation may be necessary. This can be particularly dangerous for young children, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems.
Safe eggs an easy solution
A simple, cost-effective solution to the worldwide problem of salmonella-infected eggs was long overdue when the technique of pasteurising shell eggs by means of microwave technology was first conceived by the South African researchers.
While the concept of pasteurised eggs wasn't exactly new (internationally, an American-developed water-bath method is frequently used), the patent developed by Dr Corinda Erasmus of the CSIR and Nell Wiid from Safe Eggs was both inexpensive and practical.
According to Ras, the aim was to design a process that would be able to deliver a low-cost, safer food product to the South African and broader African population.
The Safe Eggs process has been such a success that it has been patented, and has received approval by patenting countries worldwide.
Pasteurised vs unpasteurised eggs
Pasteurised eggs are, in all respects, a practical and tasty alternative to unpasteurised eggs*.
According to Ras, pasteurised eggs still look and act normal after being processed, except for a slight haze in the albumen (the egg white). "The 'whipability' of the albumen is also slightly reduced, but not to the extent that normal baking is affected," Ras says. "No difference in taste was detected by the test panel."
It's also worth noting that the price of the pasteurised eggs is similar to that of free-range eggs.
As for the future of pasteurised shell eggs, Ras believes that local consumers will become increasingly health conscious and aware of the risks associated with unpasteurised eggs, which would translate into a greater demand for safe eggs in years to come.
Safe eggs are already available from most of the 67 Checkers and Checkers Hyper stores in Gauteng, North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces, and from selected Spar stores in Gauteng. These eggs are also distributed to Checkers and Checkers Hyper stores in the Western Cape.
(Carine Visagie, Health24, February 2009)
*The Health24 team tested the safe eggs and were impressed with the results: sunny side up, the safe eggs tasted just as good as their unpasteurised cousins. Apart from the egg yolk being slightly bigger, we couldn't tell the difference between the two varieties.
References:
- The Nemours Foundation (www.kidshealth.org)
- The United States Department of Agriculture: Food Safety and Inspection Service (www.fsis.usda.gov)
- Pubmed.gov
- HealthDay.com
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