In the US, we refrigerate our eggs to prevent the spread of salmonella. Other countries take a different approach. They keep eggs safe by not disturbing what’s known as the egg’s cuticle- a natural layer that protects the egg from bacteria. That’s why it’s mostly illegal to wash eggs in Europe.
The idea is, you don’t need to refrigerate eggs if the cuticle is still intact. But, that’s not exactly true. First, eggs can have bacteria on the inside too. Second, the cuticle isn’t as strong as it seems. It actually loses its protective powers over time. Third, in general, egg washing techniques in the US might not even totally remove the cuticle!
So, what’s really going on? We learned that whether to refrigerate or not is mostly cultural. In the US, eggs travel long distances before they make it to the grocery store. We also are more likely to eat our eggs over easy or sunny-side up. Which means we have to refrigerate our eggs to make sure they’re bacteria-free for longer periods of time.
Transcript:
Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall.
Today, we’re investigating eggs. Here in the US, most of us put our eggs in the refrigerator. But in many other countries, eggs can stay on the counter. So, we wondered, could we save energy here in America and just stop refrigerating our eggs?
We had Luci Jones: and Fatima Husain from our Possibly Team look into this. Welcome, Luci and Fatima!
Luci Jones: Hi Megan, thanks so much for having us!
Fatima Husain: Hello!
Megan Hall: So, do we need to refrigerate our eggs or not?
Luci Jones: To figure that out, we called Yewande Fasina, a professor at North Carolina A&T University, who specializes in poultry.
Fatima Husain: She says she’s been interested in chickens since her childhood, when her family kept a flock of hens in the backyard.
Yewande Fasina: I just fell in love with any creature that has two feet and two wings to fly. That’s how it started.
Fatima Husain: Ywande says chickens and their eggs can spread harmful bacteria, especially salmonella, which can make you pretty sick.
Luci Jones: Luckily, salmonella can’t grow quickly in cold temperatures.
Yewande Fasina: if you keep the egg in a refrigerated condition, it won’t support rapid bacterial growth.
Fatima Husain: So, refrigerating eggs makes the spread of salmonella less likely.
Megan Hall: Ok, but if that’s true, why don’t many other countries use refrigeration?
Luci Jones: Other countries use a different method to prevent the spread of bacteria. It involves protecting what’s known as the egg’s “cuticle.”
Megan Hall: What’s the cuticle?
Luci Jones: This is how Deana Jones with the USDA explains it:
Deana Jones: You know, when you take your car to the carwash and you get that last little spray. the intent of it is to prevent external contamination from entering into the egg.
Fatima Husain: The idea is the cuticle protects the egg from bacteria. That’s why it’s mostly illegal to wash eggs in Europe, unlike in the U.S., where farmers are required to wash them.
Megan Hall: So, if an egg still has its cuticle, you don’t have to refrigerate it?
Luci Jones: That’s what a lot of sources online seem to say.
Fatima Husain: But, that’s not exactly true.
Megan Hall: What did you find out?
Fatima Husain: First, Yewande Fasina says eggs can have bacteria on the inside too.
Yewande Fasina: So if you don’t refrigerate such an egg and you keep it at room temperature in a matter of weeks, it’s gonna get spoiled.
Luci Jones: Second, the cuticle isn’t as strong as it seems. Deana Jones says it loses its protective powers over time.
Deanne Jones: So it’s not a continuous coating forever on the egg. It’s going to break down and degrade over time and just kind of go away.
Fatima Husain: Third, and this is what really surprised us — Deana told us that in general, egg washing techniques in the US might not even totally remove the cuticle!
Megan Hall: What? So, what’s really going on?
Luci Jones: Well, Ywande says science isn’t enough to answer this question.
Yewande Fasina: To be honest, I think 30% is probably cultural.
Luci Jones: In Nigeria, where Yewande is from, they don’t wash or refrigerate eggs.
Yewande Fasina: if I go back today, I’m gonna feel comfortable. And I will eat the eggs there.
Fatima Husain: That’s because people buy their eggs in the market or take them from backyard chickens and then eat them right away. They also cook their eggs thoroughly.
Luci Jones: But here in the US, eggs can travel across the country before they make it to the grocery store. Americans tend to shop less often, so they don’t eat their eggs immediately. We’re also more likely to eat our eggs sunny side up or over easy,
Fatima Husain: Which means we have to refrigerate our eggs to make sure they’re bacteria-free for longer periods of time.
Megan Hall: So, there’s no simple solution to this? We can’t just save a bunch of energy by not refrigerating our eggs?
Luci Jones: Unfortunately, no. As long as Americans continue to buy and eat eggs the way we do, we’ll probably have to keep refrigerating them.
Megan Hall: Great! Thanks for looking into this Luci and Fatima!
That’s it for today. For more information, or to ask a question about the way you recycle, use energy, or make any other choice that affects the planet, go to the public’s radio dot org slash possibly.
Possibly is a co-production of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society and the Public’s Radio.
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