Egg coatings: trends and future opportunities for new coatings development

SUMMARY

Eggs are consumed globally due to their nutritional profile and their low economic value. Eggs are perishable products and decline in quality over storage time. With the increased consumption of eggs and a large number of residues from the agroindustry, there is an opportunity to use these bioproducts to form coatings that increase the shelf life of eggs. In this review, important elements were discussed with the objective to indicate gaps and opportunities for the development of coatings that should be researched by both academia and the poultry industry. The review points to common coatings used on eggs, trends, challenges, and future opportunities with special emphasis on new materials from agroindustrial residues. For practical application on eggs, microbiological and sensory analyses are necessary to assess the coating acceptability and safety. Finally, this review discusses trends and materials that can be used in the development of new egg coatings.

KEYWORDS:

• Agro-industry waste
• Egg quality
• Food preservation
• Shelf life
• Storage time

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Paula Gabriela da Silva Pires

Dr. Paula Gabriela da Silva Pires is a DVM, MSc Ph.D. in Animal Science and Egg Quality expert. She is currently developing projects with the objective of extending the shelf life of eggs and reducing food losses from industrial by-products, especially in countries where egg refrigeration is not necessary. She also studies the effects of hen housing systems on egg quality and shelf life, productivity and gut health. She is Co-founder of Advanced Poultry Gut Science.

C. Bavaresco

Dr. Caroline Bavaresco is a Zootechnician, PhD in Animal Production with emphasis on Poultry Science. She develops research projects focused on egg quality, the use of enzymes in the feeding of broilers, and the use of by-products in the feeding of Japanese quails.

M. L. Wirth

Meire Luiza Wirth is na undergraduate student in Animal Science at Univesidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil. She is currently a fellow in Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento (MAPA), where she has been developing solutions for non-ruminant nutrition.

P. O. Moraes

Dr. Priscila de Oliveira Moraes is a professor at the Department of Animal Science and Rural Development at Univesidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil. Her research focus is new technologies for non-ruminant nutrition. In addition to working with egg quality, her main line of research is the relationship between nutrition, microbiota and the immune system, with a view to improving the intestinal health of non-ruminants. She is Founder of Advanced Poultry Gut Science.