USDA-ARS scientists have recently published on the application of ultra violet light to inactivate Salmonella enteritidis (SE) on egg shells. Studies* were conducted involving the inoculation of egg shells with SE and subjecting the shell surfaces to UV irradiation over periods of 1 to 30 seconds.
Significant reduction of SE was obtained after 20 seconds of treatment with a lamp generating a dose of 23.6 J/cm2 and the radiation of the shell surface had no effect on internal quality perimeters.
However, in the event of surface contamination from fecal contact during passage of the egg through the cloaca, existing washing installations operated at recommended temperatures (115-125F) using a chlorine sanitizer at a concentration ranging from 100 to 150 ppm at a pH of 10 to 12 will effectively decontaminate shells at processing rates of up to 500 cph.
