Changes related to storage conditions in the quality of quail eggs of different sizes
¹University of Prishtina, Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary/Department of Animal Science Biotechnology, Street Lidhja e Pejës 34, XK10000 Prishtinë, Kosovo
²University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina”, Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary, Department of Food Technology with Biotechnology, Street Lidhja e Pejës 34, XK10000 Prishtinë, Kosovo
*Correspondence: xhavit.ramadani@uni-pr.edu
Abstract:
This study assesses the impact of storage temperature – ST (4–6 °C and 20–22 °C), storage duration – SD (7, 14, 21, and 28 days), and egg weight group – EWG (A ≤ 10, B = 10.01–11.00, C = 11.01–12.00, D = 12.01–13.00 gram) on the EWL as well as quality attributes of 400 quail eggs. Various parameters were assessed, including egg weight loss (EWL), external quality attributes: egg weight (EW), egg shape index (ESI), eggshell weight (ESW) and eggshell thickness (EST), and internal characteristics: albumen weight (AW), albumen index AI, albumen pH (ApH), Haugh unit (HU), yolk weight (YW), yolk index (YI), yolk pH (YpH), yolk color (YC) and yolk/albumen ratio (Y/A). This comprehensive analysis aimed to provide a thorough understanding of the eggs’ physical and internal qualities. The data obtained was analyzed using JMP IN 7, revealing impacts of ST, SD, and EWG on quail eggs quality (P <0.05). The storage temperature parameters not only demonstrated statistically significant differences in AW (P < 0.05) but also in YI, and YpH (P <0.05). Parameters such as AI, YW, ESW, EST, ESI, Y/A, YC, HU, and YpH did not reflect statistically significant differences by ST (P > 0.05). SD had significant impact on AW, AI, ApH, HU, YW, YR, YI, Y/W, YC and YpH (P <0.05). Changes in AW, AI, YW and HU were observed based on EWG (P < 0.05). Furthermore, significant effects (P < 0.05) were found for interactions between ST×SD×EWG on EWL, AW, YW, and Y/A. This research is focused on providing a comprehensive overview of storage conditions, necessary to maintain quality eggs.
Key words:
egg quality, egg weight group, quail egg, storage duration, storage temperature