The truth is out! Why are there no poop on the eggs sold in supermarkets? It turns out that there is this secret

Eggs are a necessity for many people and have high nutritional value.

It is a tradition to eat eggs when you are recovering from a serious illness, and there is even a tradition of new mothers eating eggs during their confinement period.

Therefore, many people keep the habit of eating one egg a day.

When you go to the supermarket to buy eggs, have you ever noticed a problem? The eggs always look very clean, while the eggs you buy at the market or have seen freshly laid eggs by hens are often stained with chicken manure.

Why is this?

Why are there no feces in the eggs sold in supermarkets?

Eggs that have just been taken out of the chicken coop are usually sticky with chicken feces. This is because the end of the chicken's intestines and the end of its genitals share a cavity (cloaca) , so they are easily sticky with chicken excrement.

The eggs sold in supermarkets are usually collected from farms. The eggs laid by the chickens there are collected after rolling at an inclined angle to separate them from the chicken excrement , so they rarely have chicken feces on them.

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

In addition, some large-scale farms will simply wash, air-dry and coat the collected eggs to make them look cleaner. If conditions permit, the egg surface may also be subjected to ultraviolet sterilization.

Therefore, most of the eggs sold in supermarkets now do not contain chicken feces, especially the eggs in individual small packages.

Do you need to wash eggs before boiling them?

Although most of the eggs we buy home look relatively clean, they are only clean in a way that can be seen with the naked eye. There may still be some chicken excrement left on the surface of the eggs , such as uric acid crystals in their urine.

Therefore, even though boiled eggs are shelled and cooked thoroughly, there is not much risk in terms of food safety.

However, from the perspective of establishing good living habits and dietary psychology, it is recommended to wash the eggs before eating them.

Can eggs be eaten raw?

Some people like to eat eggs raw, while others like soft-boiled eggs, but in fact, these ways of eating involve considerable risks.

From a food safety perspective, the risks of eggs are mainly chemical risks (such as antibacterial and antiviral veterinary drug residues) and biological risks (such as Salmonella infection).

Eating undercooked eggs may cause the risk of salmonella infection, which may cause gastroenteritis. Mild symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Severe cases may lead to dehydration and shock. For children and people with weakened immune systems, it may cause sepsis.

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

Therefore, for your own health, you should eat eggs thoroughly.

Is it better to eat more eggs?

Eggs contain a wide range of nutrients and have very high nutritional value, making them suitable for consumption by all types of people. However, eggs also contain a relatively high amount of cholesterol, so it is not advisable to eat too much.

According to the recommendations of China's Dietary Guidelines (2016 edition), if we consume fish, livestock and poultry meat normally, we need to consume 280-350 grams of eggs per week, an average of 40-50 grams per day. An egg weighs about 50-60 grams. In other words, we only need to consume one egg a day.

Of course, if you are a fitness person, or someone who eats less fish, livestock and poultry meat, you can eat more eggs, but you need to pay attention to the cholesterol intake.

In addition, some elderly people are afraid of eating eggs for fear of high cholesterol intake, or they only eat egg whites and not egg yolks.

But in fact, there is no risk in eating eggs normally . The yolk is rich in lecithin, which is good for our heart and brain. In addition, the yolk contains higher levels of vitamins and minerals.

Some people also think that free-range eggs have higher nutritional value.

In fact, there is not much difference in nutritional value between eggs from intensive farms and free-range eggs.

Which type of eggs are fresher?

Just by looking at whether there is chicken excrement on the surface of eggs, you cannot judge the freshness of the eggs or whether they are free-range. Some eggs may just have the excrement not wiped off.

When choosing eggs, remember:

1. Generally speaking, the shells of fresh eggs are relatively rougher ;

2. Put the egg next to your ear and shake it gently to listen for the sound of liquid shaking. Fresh eggs will make a solid sound when shaken , unlike the sound of liquid slapping.

3. If conditions permit, you can put the eggs in a bowl of water to see whether they sink to the bottom or float. Fresh eggs will sink to the bottom .

4. The date label on the egg packaging can also help with judgment to a certain extent.

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

There are a few things to keep in mind when storing eggs:

1. Store the air chamber with the big end facing up and the small end facing down in a dark and ventilated environment;

2. Do not wash the eggs during storage to avoid damaging the protective film outside the eggshell, which may cause microorganisms in the environment to invade the eggs and affect their freshness and quality.

3. If it needs to be stored in the refrigerator, it should be wrapped in a plastic bag to prevent potential Salmonella from contaminating other foods in the refrigerator.

Finally, when eating eggs, in order to reduce the loss of nutrients caused by cooking, it is best to use steaming or boiling.

Expert of this article｜Zhang Zhaomin, Master of Food Science, Senior Engineer

The cover image and the images in this article are from the copyright library

Reproduction of image content is not authorized