Probability of an egg cracking during packing can be predicted using a simple non-destructive acoustic test

Abstract

1. The aim of this investigation was to test the predictive power of the dynamic stiffness measurement to identify eggs which are most likely to crack under field conditions. 2. A representative sample of eggs (n ¼ 1660) was collected from the front of the cages in a commercial battery unit. Egg weight,% damping and dynamic stiffness (K dyn ) were recorded using an acoustic crack detection device. Intact eggs were marked and replaced in the front of the cages. These eggs were subsequently passed through online collection, grading and packing machinery, along with a volume of unmarked eggs. At the end of packing the acoustic test was repeated on the marked eggs, and these were subsequently categorised as being either intact (0) or cracked (1). 3. A logistic regression of the probability of cracking vs K dyn revealed that as the K dyn measurement decreases below 15 000 N/m there is a rapid increase in the probability that an egg will crack during routine handling. 4. Additional variables (visit, egg weight,% damping and position in the house (battery [1 to 7], side [1, 2] and tier [1 to 8]) were also fitted to the model but only egg weight, visit and tier effects significantly improved the model fit. 5. This study confirms that the dynamic stiffness measurement can predict the probability of an egg cracking in the field and with high precision. As this measurement also has a high heritability, it could be incorporated into breeding programmes, where it would offer an excellent method to improve eggshell quality and reduce the incidence of cracked eggs.

Effect of Uniformity of Eggshell Thickness on Eggshell Quality in Chickens

“…This new measurement better describes the global behavior of eggshells and varies slightly when measured at different positions (De Ketelaere et al, 2002). It has been proved to be a most promising method that could be applied in genetic selection and on-line detection due to its rapid speed of measurement and nondestructive nature (Coucke et al, 1999;De Ketelaere et al, 2000;De Ketelaere et al, 2002;De Ketelaere et al, 2004;Dunn et al, 2005;Bain et al, 2006;Amer Eissa, 2009). …”

Níveis de vibração e choques em diferentes estradas durante o transporte de ovos férteis

“…Os altos níveis de vibração podem aumentar a chance do aparecimento de trincas e quebras além de ocasionar o agitamento dos elementos constituintes do ovo (Mertens et al, 2005;Bain et al, 2006). Durante o trajeto do caminhão também existirá uma força que atuará nos ovos fazendo com que esses se agitem dentro das bandejas de plástico de forma contínua, podendo causar danos na casca do ovo.…”

“…Dependendo das condições das vias de transporte a qualidade dos ovos férteis pode ser comprometida. A proporção de choques e vibrações aos quais a carga estará sendo submetida poderá afetar a qualidade do produto final (ovo fértil) e favorecer o aumento das perdas atribuídas às trincas e quebras (Mertens et al, 2005;Wang & Jiang, 2005;Bain et al, 2006;Mertens et al, 2006;Bamelis et al, 2008;Deng et al, 2010;Nazareno, 2012). Então, quanto pior a condição da estrada maior será o tempo gasto na viagem; logo, consequentemente maior será também o tempo em que os ovos férteis ficarão expostos às condições adversas.…”

Comparative eggshell stability assessment using three different non-destructive sensing instruments and breakage force strength

“…Coucke et al (1999), De Ketelaere et al (2002 and Wang et al (2004) also found an acceptable correlation between the measurement of K dyn and other measures of eggshell quality. Finally, Bain et al (2006) showed that K dyn provides a good estimation of eggshell strength in relation to the likelihood of breakage in practice. This creates the opportunity to use K dyn as a new eggshell quality parameter in breeding programs.…”