Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Poultry egg is basic ingredient
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-11
2001-10-16
Weier, Anthony J. (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Poultry egg is basic ingredient
C426S298000, C426S300000, C426S521000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06303176
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to methods for pasteurizing shell eggs. More particularly the present invention relates to methods for reducing or eliminating Salmonella from shell eggs and for improving the storage capabilities of shell eggs.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is well known that Salmonella organisms have been associated with egg products. More recently, Salmonella enteritidis (SE) has been detected within shell eggs. Presently, the presence of Salmonella within the shell egg is a major concern. Some states have enacted legislation preventing the serving of unpasteurized egg products unless fully cooked. In fact, since as early as 1969, the USDA has overseen the processing of liquid egg removed from the shell to reduce the level of Salmonella contamination to acceptable levels. However, no commercially acceptable methods have been developed to combat Salmonella in shell eggs. Since shell eggs must be used in situations where a liquid egg product cannot, it is therefore desirable to develop a commercially acceptable process for the reduction of Salmonella within shell eggs to provide a safe and functionally acceptable shell egg to the consumer.
Thermal treatments of shell egg to prevent embryonic growth in fertile eggs, to reduce incidence of spoilage during long term storage, and maintain internal quality received considerable research attention from about 1943 to about 1953. This research resulted from the nature of the egg industry at that time in that most of the eggs were produced by small flocks and the majority of the eggs used by the food industry were collected as seasonal surpluses in the spring. As a result of the production practices the eggs were more likely to lose interior quality or become unfit for human consumption because of bacterial growth or embryonic development. Research into “thermostabilization” was directed at solving these problems, which were largely perceived as embryonic growth and the contamination of the egg from contaminants external to the shell. (See Egg Science, Stadelman and Coterill, (eds)., Chapter 4, 3d Ed., 1986).
U.S. Pat. No. 2,423,233 to Funk describes the thermostabilization of shell eggs. The '233 patent described a process of heating the shell egg to arrest embryonic development in the egg. As described in the '233 patent, when heating with water the preferred times and temperatures for the heat treatment were 138 degrees Fahrenheit for from five to ten minutes. However, the work of Dr. Funk was not concerned with the elimination of pathogenic organisms. In fact, the times and temperatures suggested by Dr. Funk for heating with water would not be sufficient to cause high enough levels of
Salmonella enteritidis
destruction to insure that a safe shell egg would result. Furthermore, because eggs available through modern production and distribution are fresher and have a lower pH they require a different thermal process than was used by Funk.
Accordingly, it is one object of the present invention to provide a safe shell egg product which is essentially free of Salmonella and more preferably free of
Salmonella enteritidis.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a commercially acceptable process for reducing the levels of
Salmonella enteritidis
in shell eggs to acceptable levels.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a method of producing a Salmonella negative shell egg without requiring additional thermal treatments which could reduce the functionality of the shell egg.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides methods for producing a pasteurized shell egg while retaining the normal appearance of the shell egg contents. The present invention, therefore, relates to a commercially viable method of producing a pasteurized shell egg. One particular embodiment of the present invention involves heating the shell egg in an aqueous solution of a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time. The heating at a predetermined time for a predetermined temperature provide to the albumen of the shell egg a total thermal treatment which can be described by an equivalent time and an equivalent temperature which define a point above the “Whites” lines of
FIG. 1
but is insufficient to cause coagulation of either the albumen or the yolk of the shell egg.
In another aspect of the present invention the equivalent time and equivalent temperature define a point above the Yolk line of
FIG. 1
, but again insufficient to cause coagulation of either the albumen or the yolk of the shell egg.
Another aspect of the present invention involves heating the shell egg in an aqueous solution of a predetermined temperature and maintaining the shell in the aqueous solution for a predetermined time, wherein the predetermined time and the predetermined temperature provide to the albumen of the shell egg a thermal treatment sufficient to cause a 9D reduction in
S. enteritidis
but insufficient to cause coagulation of the albumen or the yolk of the shell egg. A further aspect of this embodiment involves providing a thermal treatment sufficient to cause a 9D reduction in
S. enteritidis
from the yolk of the shell egg, but again insufficient to cause coagulation of the albumen or the yolk of the shell egg.
Yet another aspect of the present invention provides a method of producing a pasteurized shell egg by heating the shell egg in an aqueous solution of a predetermined temperature and maintaining the shell egg in the aqueous solution for a predetermined time, wherein the predetermined time and the predetermined temperature define a point above the Apparent F
0
line of
FIG. 1
, and wherein the predetermined time and the predetermined temperature are insufficient to cause coagulation of the albumen or the yolk of the shell egg. A further aspect of the present invention provides a thermal treatment wherein the predetermined time and the predetermined temperature define a point below the Expected Salmonella line of FIG.
1
.
The present invention is also directed to a pasteurized shell egg, wherein the albumen of said shell egg has received a thermal treatment sufficient to cause a 9D reduction in
Salmonella enteritidis
but insufficient to cause significant coagulation. In another aspect of the thermally treated shell egg, the yolk of the shell egg receives a thermal treatment sufficient to cause a 9D reduction in
Salmonella enteritidis
but insufficient to cause coagulation.
The foregoing and other objects and aspects of the present invention are explained in greater detail in the specification below and the drawings herein, wherein:
REFERENCES:
patent: 1092897 (1914-04-01), Clairemont
patent: 2423233 (1947-07-01), Funk
patent: 2497817 (1950-02-01), Hale et al.
patent: 2500396 (1950-03-01), Barker
patent: 2550189 (1951-04-01), Droege et al.
patent: 2576236 (1951-11-01), Paden
patent: 2618216 (1952-11-01), Mulvany
patent: 2673160 (1954-03-01), Feeney et al.
patent: 2725062 (1955-11-01), Vile
patent: 2936240 (1960-05-01), Kaufman et al.
patent: 3041212 (1962-06-01), Booth
patent: 3144342 (1964-08-01), Collier et al.
patent: 3211659 (1965-10-01), Pikaar
patent: 3561980 (1971-02-01), Sourby et al.
patent: 3830945 (1974-08-01), Scharfman
patent: 4562790 (1986-01-01), Leffke
patent: 5283072 (1994-02-01), Cox et al.
patent: 5431939 (1995-07-01), Cox et al.
patent: 5589211 (1996-12-01), Cox et al.
patent: 5939118 (1999-08-01), Cox et al.
patent: 459566 (1946-09-01), None
patent: 701272 (1965-01-01), None
patent: 2177164 (1999-09-01), None
patent: 612503 (1948-11-01), None
patent: 55001019 B (1980-01-01), None
patent: 72454 (1949-03-01), None
patent: 577009 A (1977-10-01), None
patent: WO 88/01834 (1988-03-01), None
patent: WO 90/09109 (1990-08-01), None
patent: 93/03622 (1993-03-01), None
Egg Pasteurization Manual, U.S.D.A. (1969).
Eggs and Egg Products, Microbial Ecology of Foods, vol. II, Food Commodities, pp. 534-635 (1980).
Heat Treating Shell Eggs: Opacity and infertility produced by thermostabilization process at 125° F. and 144° F., The U.S. Egg and Poultry M
Cotterill Owen J.
Vandepopuliere Joseph M.
Myers Bigley Sibley & Sajovec
University of Missouri System at Columbia
Weier Anthony J.
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