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PubMed2002

Preliminary results on the use of diagnostic ultrasonography as a management tool to quantify egg production potential in breeding ostrich (Struthio camelus australis) females.

An ostrich breeding flock, joined as individual breeding pairs (n = 136 pairs), was used to investigate the possibility of diagnostic ultrasonography as a method to predict the reproductive performance of ostrich females during a breeding season. Follicular activity was easily detected and quantified by using diagnostic ultrasonography. One to 8 follicles were recorded in 25% of females scanned at the beginning of the 9-month breeding season. At the end of the breeding season, 1-3 follicles were observed in 28.7% females. Females in which follicular activity was observed came into production earlier than those in which no follicles were observed, with the mean (+/- SE) number of days to the production of the 1st egg being 22.3 +/- 12.5 and 87.4 +/- 7.2 days, respectively. Females in which follicular activity was observed at the beginning of the breeding season, produced on average 181% more eggs during the 1st month of the breeding season (P < 0.01) than females in which no follicular activity was observed (6.67 +/- 0.70 vs 2.37 +/- 0.41 eggs). Egg production over the first 2 months of breeding and over the entire breeding season were similarly affected (P < 0.01), with the mean number of eggs produced over the first 2 months of the breeding season being 14.7 +/- 1.5 for females with observed follicular activity and 7.4 +/- 0.9 eggs for females with no observed follicular activity. Females in which follicular activity was observed at the end of the breeding season produced on average 108% more eggs (P < 0.01) during the last month of the breeding season than females in which no follicular activity was observed (2.77 +/- 0.43 vs. 1.33 +/- 0.27 eggs). There was a tendency (P = 0.06) for egg production over the last 2 months to be similarly affected (6.10 +/- 0.85 vs 4.19 +/- 0.54 eggs). No relationship with egg production over the entire breeding season was found for the end-of-the-breeding-season observations. Diagnostic ultrasonography can thus be used as a management tool to identify reproductively healthy ostrich females and also females with a higher egg production potential over a period of 2 months after or prior to assessment. Future studies should focus on the development of the technique to predict reproductive performance over entire breeding seasons for selection purposes.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

The permeability to cytochalasin B of the new unpigmented surface in the first cleavage furrow of the newt's egg.

Two of 10 mug/ml cytochalasin B (CB) caused retraction of the first cleavage furrow in Triturus eggs, a spreading of the unpigmented surface from the furrow region and a flattening of the whole egg. CB appears to act against the contractility of the microfilamentous band at mid-cleavage so as to relax the furrow and also to weaken unpigmented surface to allow the egg to flatten. Uncleaved eggs and the initial formation of the cleavage groove were unaffected by CB. A fully-retracted first cleavage furrow reformed itself on transfer of the egg to normal medium but only at the time of second cleavage. Initiation of second cleavage depended upon there being sufficient of the original pigmented surface on the animal hemisphere. Tritium-labelled CB of high specific activty was prepared and used to study its ability to penetrate the surface of newt eggs during cleavage. Scintillation couting of whole eggs showed that CB was not taken into the newt egg until mid-cleavage (about 17 min after the double stripe stage) when new surface began to spread in the cleavage furrow. Fixation in glutaraldehyde and osmium tetroxide retained radioactivity in the egg, but more CB was retained after fixation in osmium tetroxide alone than after double fixation. Most of the retained radioactivity was in yolk platelets. Autoradiographs were prepared to sectioned eggs which had been fixed at late cleavage after [3H]CB had flattend the furrow. These showed that CB entered the egg through the unpigmented surface which formed in the furrow but it could not enter through the pigmented surface. The impermeability of the pigmented surface explains the observations that CB does not prevent initial furrowing at cleavage. Once inside the egg CB is transported slowly. CB penetrates to a limited extent beneath the pigmented surface from its border with the unpigmented surface in the first cleavage furrow and this seems insufficient in some circumstances to suppress the contractile phase of second cleavage.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

[Geographic variation in female reproductive characteristics and egg incubation of Eumeces chinensis].

Geographic variation in female reproductive characteristics and egg incubation of Chinese skink (Eumeces chinensis) was studied by using two populations from eastern (Lishui, Zhejiang) and southern (Shaoguan, Guangdong) China, respectively. The results showed that female adults of the two populations both laid a single clutch per breeding season, and the clutch size, clutch mass, and egg mass had a positive correlation with female SVL. There was obvious geographic variation in head shape of females, reproductive characteristics, timing date of oviposition, and thermal dependence of egg incubation between two populations. Skinks from Shaoguan began to lay eggs in mid-May, approximately two weeks earlier than the timing date of skinks from Lishui. Skinks from Shaoguan produced more but smaller eggs. The size-specific (SVL) clutch size of skinks from Shaoguan outnumbered that of skinks from Lishui by 2.8 eggs. It implied there was a trade-off between the number and the size of offspring between populations, because there was no difference in size-specific clutch mass among skinks from both populations, and skinks within a population could produce larger clutches without a concomitant reduction in egg mass. Overall, compared to eggs incubated under 32 degrees C, eggs incubated under 24 degrees C could produce larger (SVL) and well-developed hatchlings with less unutilized yolks. Compared to eggs from Lishui incubated under the same temperature of 24 degrees C and 32 degrees C, eggs from Shaoguan produced hatchlings with smaller body wet mass and carcass dry mass. Accordingly, there was geographic variation in suitable range of incubation temperatures, and eggs laid by skinks from Lishui could successfully incubate in a wider range of temperatures.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Effect of diatomaceous earths Fossil Shield and Silico-Sec on the egg laying behaviour of Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae).

The pulse beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) is a destructive pest of pulses in both storage and field. It is well known that diatomaceous earth (DE) kill the insects by locally absorbing the epicuticular lipid layers leading to high rate of water loss through the cuticle. However, the effectiveness of DE depends on its ability to kill the adults before copulation and egg-laying. Newly emerged virgin males and females of Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) were exposed to the DEs, Fossil-Shield and Silico-Sec on 30 treated mungbeans (Vigna radita (L)). Fecundity, number of beans used for egg-laying and beans without eggs were evaluated after four days; the number of unhatched eggs was evaluated after ten days. It was determined, that the fecundity of female insects decreased sigmoidely with increasing rate of DE content. Percentages of unhatched eggs and seeds without eggs increased with increasing DE dosages. However, the maximum egg densities (eggs per used secd) occurred at 1200 mg DE/kg for Fossil-Shield and Silico-Sec. The reason for such DE-stimulated behaviour of egg laying expressed as a number of seeds with eggs of C. maculatus is not known, but it may be related to the stress caused by the inert dusts or to the reduction of both chemical and physical (tactile) stimuli. Treatment with DEs altered the surface texture of the beans and caused less cohesion between eggs and the seed surface. Only few larvae managed to penetrate into the grains, possibly due to increased grain roughness and repellent effect of DE. A relatively high number of eggs were laid on the surface of those beans where the amount of dust had been locally reduced by adults' movement and their pick up of DE. Therefore, several larvae tried to penetrate into these treated beans, causing a high larval density per partially cleaned bean. All these reasons lead to a progeny decline.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Genetic and cellular basis for acetylcholine inhibition of Caenorhabditis elegans egg-laying behavior.

Egg-laying behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans is activated by signaling through the G-protein G(rho)q and inhibited by signaling through a second G-protein, G(rho)o. Activation of egg laying depends on the serotonergic hermaphrodite-specific neurons (HSNs), but the neurotransmitter(s) and cell(s) that signal to inhibit egg laying are not known. Mutants for G-protein signaling genes have well characterized defects in egg laying. Here we present an analysis of mutants for other genes reported to lack inhibition of egg laying. Of the nine strongest, six have morphological defects in the ventral-type C (VC) neurons, which synapse onto both the HSNs and the egg-laying muscles and are thus the third cell type comprising the egg-laying system. Laser-ablating VC neurons could also disrupt the inhibition of egg laying. The remaining three mutants (unc-4, cha-1, and unc-17) are defective for synthesis or packaging of acetylcholine in the VCs. The egg-laying defects of unc-4, cha-1, and unc-17 were rescued by VC-specific expression of the corresponding cDNAs. In addition, increasing synaptic acetylcholine by reducing acetylcholinesterase activity, with either mutations or the inhibitor aldicarb, decreased egg laying. Finally, we found that a knock-out for the HSN-expressed receptor G-protein-coupled acetylcholine receptor 2 (GAR-2) shows a partial defect in the inhibition of egg laying and fails to respond to aldicarb. Our results show that acetylcholine released from the VC neurons inhibits egg-laying behavior. This inhibition may be caused, in part, by acetylcholine signaling onto the HSN presynaptic terminals, via GAR-2, to inhibit neurotransmitter release.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed2005

Effects of forced egg-retention in Aedes albopictus on adult survival and reproduction following application of DEET as an oviposition deterrent.

The insect repellent DEET (0.1% concentration), used as a mosquito oviposition deterrent in the laboratory, influenced the retention and maintenance of mature eggs by caged gravid female Aedes albopictus Skuse. This egg-retention mechanism could benefit survival because the gravid females were ultimately able to lay maintained eggs upon availability of water, but the length of forced egg-retention time reduced the number of eggs laid per female. Gravid females with retained eggs also laid a higher percentage of eggs that failed to tan, and this percentage increased with time duration of egg-retention. Percent egg hatch was not significantly affected by DEET when used as an oviposition deterrent; however, percent hatch was affected by time duration of egg-retention in both treated (exposed to DEET) and untreated (control) gravid females. The rate of egg hatch was considerably reduced after three weeks of retention; this reduction declined to zero for treated and control females at six and four weeks post-treatment, respectively. The fecundity and fertility of gravid female Ae. albopictus were affected by the time duration of forced egg-retention.

Aedes↗
PubMed1986

Purification and characterization of a sea urchin egg Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent kinase with myosin light chain phosphorylating activity.

The crude actomyosin precipitate from sea urchin (Arbacia punctulata) egg extracts contains Ca2+-sensitive myosin light chain kinase activity. Activity can be further increased by exogenous calmodulin (CaM). Egg myosin light chain kinase activity is purified from total egg extract by fractionating on three different chromatographic columns: DEAE ion exchange, gel filtration on Sephacryl-300, and Affi-Gel-CaM affinity. The purified egg kinase depends totally on Ca2+ and CaM for activity. Unphosphorylated egg myosin has very little actin-activated ATPase. After phosphorylation of the phosphorylable light chain by either egg kinase or gizzard myosin light chain kinase, the actin-activated ATPase of egg myosin is enhanced several fold. However, the egg kinase bears some unique characteristics which are very different from conventional myosin light chain kinases of differentiated tissues. The purified egg kinase has a native molecular mass of 405 kDa, while on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide electrophoresis it shows a single subunit of 56 kDa. The affinity of egg kinase for CaM (Ka = 0.4 microM) is relatively weaker than that of the gizzard myosin light chain kinase. The egg kinase autophosphorylates in the presence of Ca2+ and CaM and has a rather broad substrate specificity. The possible relationship between this egg Ca2+-CaM-dependent kinase and the Ca2+-CaM-dependent kinases from brain and liver is discussed.

Actomyosin↗
PubMed1987

Modelling heat and mass exchange of buried avian eggs.

The eggs of the Megapodiidae are incubated while buried in a substrate with which they exchange heat and water. The eggs may be buried in sand or in a mound composed in part or totally of organic material. We have analyzed the heat and water exchange of these buried eggs by constructing egg heat and mass balances. The equations are used to examine changes in egg temperature and water exchange during incubation in different environments. The thermal conductivities of the substrates are likely to vary by a factor of 5 to 10, with sand having the greatest thermal conductivity and organic litter the smallest. We predict that eggs incubated in sand will increase in temperature by 1 degree C or less, whereas eggs incubated in organic material will increase in temperature by 4 degrees C or more. Mound temperatures should remain low (less than 35 degrees C) to prevent overheating of eggs and hatchlings. Eggs can be incubated in sand at higher temperatures with less risk of overheating. Egg water loss in mounds is likely to be variable depending on mound humidity and considerably greater than 0 even in very high humidities. We expect that the rate of water loss by the eggs will increase many fold during incubation because of the low thermal conductivity of the mound material and the consequent increase in egg temperature.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Effects of extremely low osmolarity on fertilized mouse eggs.

When fertilized one-cell eggs are subjected to distilled water treatment for 2-6 min, cytoplasm bulges through the sperm-slit in the zona pellucida and forms a cytoplasmic fragment (CF). CFs were observed in 86-5% of eggs; in 20-9% of cases CFs contained a pronucleus (or pronuclei). In 53-4% of eggs permanent incorporation of the second polar body (2 P.B.) into the egg cytoplasm occurred. These phenomena occurring in different combinations produced 6-2% of haploid eggs, 10-3% of diploid eggs with a pronucleus replaced by 2 P.B. nucleus, and 43-1% of triploid eggs. 4-4% of eggs were enucleated. The remaining group comprised diploid eggs which were either not affected by the treatment (6-4%) or lost a certain amount of cytoplasm by formation of an anucleate CF (29-6%). The frequencies of the types of reaction were related to the post-fertilization stage of eggs. All eggs except the enucleated ones were able to develop to the stage of morula or blastocyst. Triploids developed until the 12th day of pregnancy and diploids that had lost up to 15% of the cytoplasm developed to term. There was a twofold reduction in the percentage of preimplantation development when treated eggs originated from induced rather than spontaneous ovulation.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Binding of concanavalin A to the surface of sea urchin eggs and its alteration upon fertilization.

The binding of concanavalin A (Con A) to Strongylocentrotus purpuratus eggs has been investigated using 125I-concanavalin A (125I-Con A). The lectin binds specifically to the egg surface and does not produce agglutination of the eggs. High 125I-Con A concentrations are necessary to saturate all of the surface binding sites. Scatchard plots of the binding data are biphasic and may be interpreted as showing two main classes of sites. Unfertilized eggs have 4 X 10(8) high affinity sites/egg (Ka=8 X 10(-7) M) and 4.5 X 10(8) istes of lower affinity (Kb=4 X 10(-6) M). The sites may be assigned to different layers of the egg surface by studying the effects of removal of egg coats on the binding reaction. Removal of the jelly coat by washing eggs at pH 4.5 has no effect on binding. However, disruption of the vitelline layer with dithiothreitol leads to a decrease in the number of high affinity sites. After fertilization, the high affinity sites are found upon the fertilization membrane produced from the vitelline layer. Low affinity sites predominate in the plasma membrane, and are not affected by treatments which alter the vitellinelayer. The number of low affinity sites double upon fertilization, with the insertion of new membrane into the egg surface, as a result of cortical granule exocytosis. The doubling of sites is not due to hyaline material released from the cortical vesicles at fertilization, and thus these sites appear to reside upon the new membrane that is inserted from the cortical vesicles. If eggs are activated with ammonia, bypassing the cortical reaction, no change in the binding of ConA occurs. Con A inhibits fertilization at concentrations higher than 0.1 mg/ml, where less than 50% of the high affinity (viteline layer) binding sites are occupied, and there is little binding to the low affinity (plasma membrane) sites. Thus, the interaction of sperm with vitelline layer components may be an obligatory step in the fertilization process. A fraction of the 125I-Con A binding sites is cleaved from the egg surface upon fertilization or after activation by the calcium ionophore A23187. This release of Con A binding sites occurs during the limited proteolysis of surface components that accompanies the cortical reaction, and does not occur with ammonia activation of the egg, where the cortical reaction does not occur. Thus, the changes in Con A binding at fertilization are caused by the massive cortical granule exocytosis that occurs within minutes of sperm penetration, and not by activation of the egg per se.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Evidence that Gq family G proteins do not function in mouse egg activation at fertilization.

Embryonic development is initiated after the fertilizing sperm contacts the egg and triggers a process termed "egg activation," resulting in calcium release, cortical granule exocytosis, recruitment of maternal mRNAs, and cell cycle resumption. Heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) may be involved in mouse egg activation since inhibition of G protein beta gamma subunits partially inhibits sperm-induced cell cycle resumption. In addition, specific events of egg activation can be initiated in the absence of sperm by acetylcholine stimulation of mouse eggs overexpressing the human m1 muscarinic receptor, a G protein-coupled receptor. In somatic cell, G proteins in the Gq family couple ligand stimulation of the m1 muscarinic receptor to activation of phospholipase C, resulting in the production of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) and IP3-mediated release of intracellular calcium. Since IP3-mediated calcium release is involved in egg activation at fertilization, we have examined the role of Gq family G proteins in both sperm-independent (muscarinic receptor-mediated) and sperm-induced egg activation using a function-blocking antibody raised against the common C-terminal region of Gq and G11 proteins. We show that this antibody effectively inhibits Gq family G proteins in mouse eggs by demonstrating that the antibody inhibits egg activation in response to stimulation of the m1 muscarinic receptor. This same antibody, however, does not inhibit sperm-induced egg activation events. These results indicate that although activation of Gq family G proteins can result in egg activation in the mouse, it is unlikely that these proteins are used by the sperm to initiate egg activation at fertilization.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Hen egg yolk and white contain high amounts of lysophosphatidic acids, growth factor-like lipids: distinct molecular species compositions.

Hen egg yolk and white were found to contain high amounts of lysophosphatidic acid (acyl LPA) in addition to small amounts of lysoplasmanic acid (alkyl LPA). The levels of acyl LPA in hen egg yolk (44.23 nmol/g tissue) and white (8.81 nmol/g tissue) were on the same order as or higher than the levels of acyl LPA known to be required to elicit biological responses in various animal tissues. Noticeably, there is a marked difference between the fatty acid composition of egg yolk acyl LPA and of egg white acyl LPA; egg yolk acyl LPA predominantly contains saturated fatty acids as the acyl moiety, whereas egg white acyl LPA primarily contains polyunsaturated fatty acids. We found that the level of acyl LPA, especially polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing acyl LPA, in egg white was augmented markedly during the incubation at 37 degrees C, while there was no change in egg yolk. We confirmed that egg white contains both the substrate, i.e., polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), and the enzyme activity catalyzing the hydrolysis of polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing LPC to the corresponding acyl LPA. Egg yolk LPA and egg white LPA may play separate physiological roles in the development, differentiation, and growth of embryos.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Detection and survival of Campylobacter in chicken eggs.

AIMS: Campylobacter jejuni, a food-borne human pathogen, is widespread in poultry; however, the sources of infection and modes of transmission of this organism on chicken farms are not well understood. The objective of this study was to determine if vertical transmission of C. jejuni occurs via eggs. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using a temperature differential method, it was shown that Campylobacter had limited ability to penetrate the eggshell. When C. jejuni was directly inoculated into the egg yolk and the eggs were stored at 18 degrees C, the organism was able to survive for up to 14 days. However, viability of C. jejuni was dramatically shortened when injected into the albumen or the air sac. When freshly laid eggs from Campylobacter-inoculated specific pathogen-free (SPF) layers were tested, C. jejuni-contamination was detected in three of 65 pooled whole eggs (5-10 eggs in each pool) via culture and PCR. However, the organism was not detected from any of the 800 eggs (80 pools), collected from the same SPF flock, but kept at 18 degrees C for 7 days before testing. Likewise, Campylobacter was not recovered from any of 500 fresh eggs obtained from commercial broiler-breeder flocks that were actively shedding Campylobacter in faeces. Also, none of the 1000 eggs from broiler breeders obtained from a commercial hatchery were positive for Campylobacter. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that vertical transmission of C. jejuni through the egg is probably a rare event and does not play a major role in the introduction of Campylobacter to chicken flocks. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Control of Campylobacter transmission to chicken flocks should focus on sources of infection that are not related to eggs.

Animal Husbandry↗
PubMed1980

Survival of faecal streptococci in raw and pasteurised egg products.

1. The ability of Streptococcus faecalis and Streptococcus faecium strains to survive in egg albumen and liquid whole egg before and after laboratory pasteurisation was studied. 2. Pasteurisation of egg albumen caused a decrease in viable cells of less than 10-fold, while pasteurisation of whole egg caused decreases of more than 100-fold in only two of the eight strains studied. After growth in whole egg, some strains were more resistant to pasteurisation in whole egg. 3. Strep. faecalis multiplied in raw and pasteurised whole egg but not in egg albumen. 4. Strep. faecium multiplied in raw and pasteurised whole egg only after an initial decline in viability which was not shown by cells adapted to whole egg. Together with storage temperature this affected the number of viable cells after a storage period of 5 d. 5. In raw and pasteurised egg albumen Strep. faecium strains lost viability; this was maximal at 37 degrees C and more cells survived as the storage temperature decreased.

Egg White↗
PubMed2000

Albumen height and yolk and embryo compositions in broiler hatching eggs during incubation.

The relationship of albumen height (AH) to the compositions of yolks and embryos in hatching eggs from a young (30 wk of age) broiler breeder flock was evaluated during incubation. On Day 2 of incubation, egg weight, yolk weight, and yolk moisture, lipid, and fatty acid contents were determined in eggs from broiler breeders previously identified as laying eggs of either low or high AH. In addition, egg weight, wet and dry embryo weight, and embryo moisture and protein contents were determined on Days 10, 12, and 16, and embryo lipid content was determined on Days 12 and 16. Yolk and embryo weights were expressed as percentages of sampled egg weight. Egg, yolk, and wet embryo weights, yolk moisture and lipid contents, and embryo moisture, protein, and lipid contents were not affected by AH; however, yolk myristic acid concentration was higher, and yolk linoleic acid concentration was lower, in low AH eggs on Day 2 of incubation. Furthermore, on Day 16, dry embryo weight was significantly higher in low AH eggs. Young breeder hens laying eggs of different AH may also produce egg yolks with different fatty acid compositions. Differences in yolk fatty acid profiles between AH groups during early incubation may impact subsequent embryo DM weight without associated effects on embryo moisture, protein, or lipid contents.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Development of a model to study Aspergillus fumigatus proliferation on the air cell membrane of in ovo injected broiler eggs.

A model was developed to examine the proliferation of Aspergillus fumigatus on the air cell membrane of broiler hatching eggs and to assay the effectiveness of fungal control strategies that may be used in conjunction with late embryonic egg injection. Egg yolk was identified as the nutritive media required to sustain fungal growth. Incubation was required to predispose the egg to fungal infection by allowing the yolk to come into contact with the air cell membrane. Infertile eggs and eggs containing embryos that died before 4 d of incubation (early-dead) that had been subsequently incubated for 9 d or more were equally susceptible to fungal infection. In order to evaluate potential methods of control, these eggs were punched through the blunt end of the shell with a 16-gauge needle, placed into forced-air incubators (hatchers), and exposed to air-dispersed pure cultures of A. fumigatus. The frequency of eggs exhibiting mold growth on the air cell membrane 72 h after exposure was subjected to a Chi-square analysis model. The effect of egg position within an incubator flat in relationship to the A. fumigatus source culture, the variation between flats (levels) within a given hatcher, the variation between hatchers, and the variation between replicate trials were measured and found to be potential sources of experimental error that must be minimized in order to accept the results of an evaluation. A statistically valid model was developed that can be used to evaluate various types of fungicidal treatments of hatching eggs and their relative efficacy in association with egg injection.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Feeding laying hens seal blubber oil: effects on egg yolk incorporation, stereospecific distribution of omega-3 fatty acids, and sensory aspects.

Seventy-two 26-wk-old Single Comb White Leghorn laying hens were randomly assigned to 36 cages (2 per cage) in a 3-orthogonal 4 x 4 latin square, with the fourth row suppressed, to assess the effect of feeding refined seal blubber oil (SBO, containing 22.2% omega-3 fatty acids) on the fatty acid composition and position in the egg yolk lipids. The experiment was conducted over a period of 9 wk. Eggs were collected and numbered, and the weights were recorded for each week and cage. Eggs collected at wk 5 and 9 were used for total lipid, lipid class, fatty acid, and positional analyses. Sensory evaluation was carried out on eggs collected at wk 6 and 7. Feeding SBO at 1.25% led to an increase (P < 0.0001) in the long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCn3PUFA) and a concomitant decrease (P < 0.0001) in arachidonic acid (ARA) in the egg yolk lipids. Yet this amount of SBO in the diet had no effect (P > 0.1) on the sensory attributes of the egg and on production parameters such as egg weight, number of eggs laid, and feed intake (P > 0.05). When feeding SBO in amounts higher than 1.25% proportionately, a plateau effect of the LCn3PUFA content of the eggs was observed. This appears to be because the PUFA content in the sn-2 position of the phospholipids cannot exceed a certain amount. When this amount is reached, the LCn3PUFA will be increasingly stored in triglycerides. The results presented here clearly indicate how eggs can be produced with optimized composition of LCn3PUFA without affecting (P > 0.1) the sensory properties of the eggs. The procedures elaborated herein provide directly applicable consequences for the food industry.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Recovery of Salmonella from commercial shell eggs by shell rinse and shell crush methodologies.

Salmonella is the most important human pathogen associated with shell eggs. Salmonella Enteritidis is the serotype most often implicated in outbreaks, although other serotypes have been recovered from eggs and from the commercial shell egg washing environment. Many sample methods are used to recover microorganisms from eggshells and membranes. A shell rinse and modified shell-and-membrane crush method for recovery of Salmonella were compared. Eggs were collected from 3 commercial shell-washing facilities (X, Y, and Z) during 3 visits. Twelve eggs were collected from each of 10 to 12 locations along the egg processing chain. After being transported back to the laboratory, each egg was sampled first by a shell rinse method and then by a shell crush method. For each technique (rinse or crush), 2 pools of 5 eggs per location sampled were selectively enriched for the recovery of Salmonella. Presumptive samples positive for Salmonella were confirmed serologically. Overall, there were 10.1% (40/396) Salmonella-positive pooled samples. Salmonella were recovered by the shell rinse and shell crush techniques (4.8 vs. 5.3%, respectively). Plant X yielded 21.5% Salmonella positives, whereas less than 5% of samples from plants Y and Z were found to be contaminated with the organism (4.2 and 4.5%, respectively). Salmonella was recovered more often from unwashed eggs (15.8%) than from washed eggs (8.3%). For some eggs, Salmonella was only recovered by one of the methods. Use of both approaches in the same experiment increased sampling sensitivity, although in most cases, crushing provided more sensitive Salmonella recovery.

Animals↗