Evaluating the quality and cooking time of fresh and deteriorated eggs in both raw and hard-
cooked states
NTR 211
Introduction
Eggs are versatile food products and serve as an essential component in cooking. Their
unique composition offers a variety of preparation techniques such as poached or baked and are
ingredients in many dishes such as custards and meringues (Walter & Beathard, 2015, p.85).
Their physical and chemical properties cause foods to foam, thicken, leaven, emulsify, and bind
(Brown, 2015, p. 251). Speaking of their composition, the egg yolk adds color to dishes such as
lemon meringue pie and has substantial fat content. The egg white, also known as the albumen,
is composed of a lot of different proteins that give dishes their structure; such as foams and
Even though eggs offer so many functions, their structural components begin to
deteriorate as soon as the egg is laid by the hen (Walter & Beathard, 2015, p. 85). This is due to
the porous nature of the shell which allows gas (carbon dioxide) exchange between the
environment and the inside of the egg (Brown, 2015, p. 252). In addition, moisture is lost
through the pores of the shell (Walter & Beathard, 2015, p. 85).
When cooking an egg, it is recommended to keep temperature low and the cooking time
short for optimal texture, color, and flavor (Brown, 2015, p. 260). However, at high temperatures
and long durations, a grey-green color develops on top of the egg yolk surface. This is the result
of hydrogen sulfide reacting with iron to form the black ferrous sulfide. Besides that, the egg
white shrinks and toughens, and the yolk’s texture becomes dry and tough. In addition,
increasing the pH of the egg promotes the ferrous sulfide production (Walter & Beathard, 2015,
p. 85).
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In this experiment, participants evaluated fresh and deteriorated egg qualities. This
included the egg white consistency, the height and location of the yolk, and the size of the air cell
in the shell. In addition, participants prepared hard-cooked fresh and deteriorated eggs for either
15 minutes or 60 minutes and evaluated several different characteristics which included color,
aroma, and location of yolk. The purpose of this experiment is to evaluate the differences in egg
quality of fresh and deteriorated eggs, and to determine the effects of cooking time (15 minutes
and 60 minutes) and degree of freshness of the hard-cooked eggs on various characteristics.
Methods
The experiment, procedure, and tables are from Walter and Beathard’s Understanding
Food Principles and Preparations lab manual. The specific unit that was performed in this
In experiment A, raw egg quality was evaluated. Every group received a fresh grade A
egg and a deteriorated grade A egg. Next, participants cracked each egg and evaluated the
consistency of the egg white, height and location of the yolk, and size of the air cell in the shell.
and degree of freshness. Even though there were four different variations listed, this was
modified in which groups performed three of the four variations. All groups performed variation
one and three, fresh egg and deteriorated egg, which were cooked for 15 minutes. However,
when it came to variation two and four, fresh egg and deteriorated egg for long cooking time (60
minutes), half the class was assigned variation two and the other half variation four. My group
was assigned variation two; fresh egg with long cooking time (60 minutes). Next, the basic
Evaluating fresh and deteriorated eggs Opalka 4
preparation of the hard-cooked egg was followed from unit 8, section B. Another modification
included the addition of an ice bath that the hard-cooked eggs were placed in after their
preparation. Finally, each egg is evaluated for its color, aroma, and location of yolk. These
Results:
Egg Type Consistency Height of the Location of Size of the Price per
of white yolk the yolk air cell in the dozen
shell
Fresh grade Firm, intact High egg Center of egg Small Not
A egg yolk white applicable
Deteriorated Flat, runny, Small, flat Off centered; Large Not
grade A egg no structure sides of egg applicable
white;
deteriorated
chalazae; not
anchored
The fresh grade A egg had prominent chalazae while the deteriorated grade A egg chalazae were
The most notable result was the deterioration of the albumen near the air cell at both 15 minutes
Discussion
The evaluation of egg quality depends on many factors such as the freshness of the egg
and the cooking time. This was apparent in this experiment; especially between the fresh grade A
egg and the deteriorated grade A egg. Selecting fresh, and good quality eggs and keeping
cooking duration short will enhance the quality and appeal of hard-cooked eggs.
deteriorated grade A egg. There were substantial differences between the two eggs. The fresh
egg had firm and intact egg whites while the deteriorated egg was runny and lacked structure.
The height of the yolk was tall in the fresh egg while it was flat in the deteriorated egg. Speaking
of the yolk, the yolk was in the center of the albumen (egg white) while in the deteriorated egg
the yolk was off centered and towards the side of the egg white. According to Brown, the
chalazae “…anchor the egg yolk in the thick egg white surrounding it. They also secure the yolk
to its vitelline membrane, so it stays neatly centered in the middle of the egg” (2015, p. 252).
Due to the deterioration of the chalazae in the deteriorated egg, this contributed to the off-
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centered yolk. In addition, the fresh egg had a small air cell in the shell while the deteriorated
egg’s air cell was large. The increase in the air cell is a characteristic of an older egg (Brown,
2015, p. 269). As the depth of the air cell increase, the deterioration process of the egg enhances
Experiment B results conveyed how the degree of freshness of hard-cooked eggs and the
cooking times resulted in varying differences of characteristics. Variation one, fresh egg cooked
for fifteen minutes, resulted in the least ferrous sulfide formation due to its degree of freshness
and short duration cooking time (Walter & Beathard, 2015, p. 101). In addition, the egg yolk was
a light color, there was a light eggy aroma, and the egg yolk was centered. Again, this was due to
the intact chalazae that kept the yolk centered and in place. However, when the fresh egg was
overcooked for 60 minutes, the yolk turned a dark yellow and resulted in a ferrous sulfide rings
around the egg yolk, the eggy aroma become more potent, and the yolk was slightly off-centered.
These results are consistent with expectations because overcooking causes the grey-green
While on the other hand, the results for the deteriorated egg was different. When the
deteriorated egg was cooked for 15 minutes, the yolk was a very dark yellow with a presence of
the ferrous sulfide ring around the yellow, there was a pungent eggy aroma, and the yolk was
located right next to the air cell with some deterioration of the egg white. While at 60 minutes,
the yolk was a very pale yellow with a prominent ferrous sulfide ring around the yolk, the aroma
was the most pungent of all variations, and the yolk was right next to the air cell with
deterioration of the egg white present as well. These results met my expectations because due to
the carbon dioxide loss of the older eggs, this causes a rise in the pH. An increase in pH
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promotes ferrous sulfide production as well as deterioration of the egg (Walter & Beathard,
2015, p. 85).
Eggs can be prepared in a variety of ways. In addition, it has a unique chemical and
physical composition and is used as a reference protein. According to Brown, a reference protein
is “A standard against which to measure the quality of other proteins” (2015, p. 256). Eggs
contain all the necessary proteins to sustain life. Therefore, this high-quality protein in eggs is
used to rate all other foods. Besides being a great contributor to nutrition, eggs provide multiple
functions due to its composition that allows preparation methods to occur. The egg white and
yolk have different properties including their coagulation temperature. Egg whites start to
coagulate at 140 degrees Fahrenheit while the yolks start coagulating at 144 degrees Fahrenheit
(Brown, 2015, p. 260). This is an important food science property because the difference in
coagulation time allows whites to be firm but yet the yolk to be soft. The experiment conveyed
the importance of using fresh eggs and cooking eggs for short durations to meet optimal quality.
Therefore, as long as the eggs coagulate at these temperatures within the 15 minutes, then the
hard-cooked eggs will be both aesthetically and aromatically pleasing. In conclusion, this
experiment allowed participants to evaluate the quality of raw and hard-cooked eggs and the
References
Brown, A. (2015). Understanding Food Principles and Preparation. (5th ed.) Stanford, CT:
Cengage Learning.
Walter, J.M. & Beathard, K. (2015). Understanding Food Principles and Preparation Lab