314
Efficiency of Lime and Water Glass for Egg Preservation
while the infertiles continued to be edible even
after 11 weeks of storage, though by this time
they were much less palatable than fresh eggs.
Thus the preservation of eggs in lime or water
glass lengthened the useful life of eggs, both
during winter and summer. Fertile and in-
fertile eggs with, or without, preservatives kept
equally well in the winter, but in the summer
fertile eggs soon became inedible under ordinary
room conditions, and preservation with the
materials under trial did not prove of much
material value.
As the practice of running males and females to-
gether is almost universal under village condi-
tions, intensive propaganda is necessary to induce
owners to produce infertile eggs only during the hot
weather, in order to prevent spoilage on account
of embryo development. The desired result can
only be obtained by demonstrating to the vil-
lager that egg production is not affected by the
presence or absence of the male, and that the pre-
sence of the male during the hot season lowers
the keeping quality of the eggs and interferes
with market demands and prices.
CONCLUSIONS
(1) In northern India fertile and infertile
eggs produced in the beginning of December
remain edible for a period of about 10 weeks
when stored under ordinary room conditions.
During this period fertile eggs store equally
as well as infertile eggs.
(2) Fertile and infertile eggs produced in
December and stored in lime and salt and lime
water retain their physical characteristics, as
judged by thick white percentage, albumen index
and yolk index, much longer, even under ordi-
nary room temperature, than eggs not placed
in preservatives. Eggs in both these preservatives
remain edible for about 20 weeks. During
the cold weather, fertile and infertile, eggs keep
equally well in both preservatives.
(3) Fertile eggs produced in the hot weather
become inedible, owing to embryo development,
in less than one week when stored under ordi-
nary room conditions.
(4) The rate of deterioration of infertile eggs,
as judged by depth of the air-cell, the thick white
percentage, the albumen index and the yolk
index, is much more rapid in the summer than
in the cold weather. Under ordinary room
conditions, infertile eggs become inedible, after
about two weeks in the hot weather.
(5) Infertile eggs preserved in lime water
and water glass, even at room temperature, dur-
ing the hot weather retain their physical charac-
ters much better than non-preserved eggs.
Eggs stored in these preservatives, though less
palatable than fresh eggs, remain edible for
a period of over 10 weeks. Storing fertile eggs
in preservatives at room temperature is useless
during the hot weather, as they become inedible
in two weeks.
(6) The three preservatives tested proved of
equal value, save that eggs preserved in water
glass retained their air-cell intact over a longer
period.
(7) As lime water is cheaper than the other
preservatives, it can be recommended for general
use in preference to either lime and salt or water
glass.
REFERENCES
Heiman, V. and Carver J. S. (1936). Poul. Sci.15, 141
Holst, W. F. and Almquist, H. J. (1931). Hilgardia 6,49
Krishnan, T. S. (1943). Indian J. Vet. Sci. & Anim.
Husb. 13, 127
Macdonald, A. J. and Krishnan, T. S. (1942). Indian J.Vet.
Sci. & Anim. Husb. 12, 318