HACCP in Eggs and Egg Products by Patricia A. Curtis, Dept.

of Food Science,
North Carolina State University
HACCP is a recognized method for assisting processors to make a safe product, using a
preventative rather than a reactive approach to processing problems. HACCP is only one
tool in producing a safe high quality product. Each plant is expected to have good
manufacturing practices and standard sanitation operating procedures in place. This
presentation will deal with shell eggs with a few comments on egg products. When
developing a HACCP plan, determine what product(s) you will be producing under the
plan. If your operation receives nest run eggs which are washed and sent directly to a
breaking room, you will need to decide if you want one HACCP plan for the complete
operation or separate HACCP plans for the shell egg operation and egg products
operation. Know what your final product will be. What might be a hazard for a shell eggs
might not be a hazard for an egg product. Involve a variety of employees in the planning
stages. If your employees are involved in the planning stages they feel
more a part of the plan. They also can provide
very plant specific information.
Principle 1: Outline the process involved. List steps in the process where significant
hazards can occur, assess the hazard and describe the prevention measures.
To outline the process, follow the movement of the eggs from the time they are received
(or enter your plant) until they are loaded for distribution. An effective way to accomplish
this is to draw a detailed flow chart (example, Fig. 1). Once the flow chart has been
developed, take the flow chart out to your plant and make sure it is truly reflective of
your process. Observe your employees to see if there is a potential hazard that may not
have been reflected on the flow chart. The next step in the process is to determine the
potential hazards for each block on the flow chart. Numerous production and processing
changes have occurred within the commercial egg industry over the past twenty years.
Clearly, egg producers and processors feel that the quality of eggs being delivered to
consumers in the United States is at an all time high. However, the Salmonella enteritidis
(SE) situation essentially redefined consumers views of egg quality. Prior to SE egg
quality was defined by consumers in physical and visual terms, but the SE situation
focused consumer attention on the microbial load contained on or in eggs. Published data
show that the contamination rate in positive flocks from England was 1 egg/10,000 with
eight or less organisms as compared with 2.59 eggs/10,000 in the United States. Research
has shown that SE proliferation declines with temperature and at 45F the organism stops
replicating. In addition, when SE is exposed to these lower temperatures during storage, it
is more easily killed during cooking. Currently, the USDA has no temperature
requirement for post-processing egg storage. Current shell egg processing technology
limits processors ability to lower the internal egg temperature in very short periods of
time. Incoming Eggs. The temperature of incoming eggs may vary from season to season
and from operation to operation. Off-line processing plants can expect initial internal egg
temperatures of 62 to 68F (16.7 to 20C). While egg temperatures may decline slightly
since pre-processing coolers are generally held between 50 to 60F, egg temperatures at
processing will generally reflect initial internal temperatures because eggs are allowed to
warm before processing. In in-line operations, egg temperatures generally range from 88
to 96F (31.1 to 35.6C) when they reach the processing area. Egg temperatures at
processing is very important since USDA regulations require that wash water temperature

be a minimum of 90F, or 20F warmer than the warmest egg. Contact between wash
water and eggs during processing causes internal egg temperatures to increase. Although
blow drying causes a slight decrease, internal egg temperatures generally continue to rise
throughout the process. This temperature increase can continue up to 6 hours after the
eggs are placed in the cooler. Egg Washer.Egg cleaning during washing is related to
wash water temperature, water characteristics, detergent, defoamer and water pH.
Although wash water temperature must be a minimum of 90F, most processors use wash
water much hotter. In North Carolina, we found temperatures ranged from 115 to 120F.
In 1955, Hillerman reported that wash water kept at 115F would increase internal egg
temperature by 0.4F/second. Alkaline cleaning formulations give an initial pH in the
wash water near 11 and wash water pH during operation is usually in the range of 10 to
11 which is unfavorable for growth of most bacteria. Research has shown when wash
water pHs increase from neutral to 10 or above, bacterial counts always decrease
regardless of the water temperature. On the other hand, a temperature above 122F
(50C) is needed to reduce bacterial counts without the influence of pH. Defoamers play
an important role in egg washing. When defoamers are not dispensed properly, the foam
in the wash tanks build up and overflow the sides of the tanks.
HACCP in Eggs and Egg Products Food Safety Figure 1. Flowchart for shell egg
processing
When this happens, it can have an effect on the water temperature and pH. I have seen
some processors take dirty eggs exiting from the washer and put them in water to soak
of some of the dirt before returning them to the washer. This is a real hazard! Soaking in
water for as little as 1 to 3 minutes can facilitate microbial penetration through the eggs
shell. Internal temperature of the egg continues to rise due to the high surface
temperatures of the rollers and candling lights. We have found that five minutes after the
eggs were processed, their surface temperature was 76 to 80F, a 12 to 14 increase in
temperature since entering the process. Storage. Packaging materials for shell eggs are
great insulators. As much as a week is required for the center egg in a pallet to reach the
ambient storage temperature. Growth rate of SE is directly proportional to the
temperature at which the eggs were stored. Holding eggs at 39 to 46F (4 to 8C) reduced
the heat resistance of SE. Thus, not only does the refrigeration reduce the level of
microbial multiplication in shell eggs, but it lowers the temperature at which the
organism is killed during cooking.
Principle 2: Determine critical control points (CCPs) in the process.
The flow chart and hazard analysis developed in Step One is used to identify points in the
process at which control is needed. For each hazard we noted during our analysis we need
to determine when and where control might be needed. A critical control point (CCP) is
the point at which a hazard must be controlled to produce a safe product. It means the
hazard cannot be controlled in another part of the process and that loss of control can
mean producing an unsafe product. There are several decision trees available to help
determine which hazards are truly CCPs. Figure 2 is an example of a decision tree. Lets
look at a couple of hazards through the decision tree. We identified wash water as a
potential biological hazard. The first question in the decision tree is, Do preventive
measures exist for the identified hazard? The answer to this question is, yes. The two
preventive measures we identified were pH and temperature. The second question is,
Does this step reduce or eliminate the likely occurrence of a hazard to an acceptable

level? We could answer, no. The third question is, Could contamination with
identified hazard occur in excess of acceptable levels or could these increase to
unacceptable levels? We would answer, yes because of the recycling of the wash
water. The next question is, Will a subsequent step eliminate identified hazard or reduce
the likely occurrence to an acceptable level? We would have to answer , no to this
question which would make it a CCP.
Principle 3: Establish critical limits for each CCP.
For each CCP identified, a limit must be set. In other words, the determination of what
the acceptable range is for each of your CCPs is the next step. In the case of the wash
water CCP example we just did, we have three potential limits. We can choose to go with
pH, water temperature or a combination of pH and water temperature. Based on the
preventive measures discussed during our hazard analysis, we could choose a pH of 10 or
above or a water temperature above 122F (50C) or some combination of the two.
Careful consideration must be given when setting limits. If a limit is not met, you have
stated that your process is out of control and you have potentially produced adulterated
product. Make sure you can live with the limit you set on a daily basis. It is also
important to determine where this limit will be met. If you have a dual wash system, does
the limit apply to both tanks? It is a good idea to run some tests to get a baseline data set
so that you will know under what conditions you are operating prior to implementing
your HACCP plan. Either the pH or temperature measurements would help you
determine if you were controlling the microbial level in the wash water. However, a
microbial test would not be practical since it would take too long to get the results of the
test back. For the sake of our example, lets choose the critical limit to be a pH of 10 or
above in both wash tanks.
Principle 4: Establish procedures to monitor each CCP.
The determination of when, where and how measurements will be gathered and recorded
will require that data be obtained to answer a number of questions. How much does the
factor vary over time? How stable are repeated measurements using a given method? At
what point during processing do significant changes in the factor tend to occur? To carry
through with our example, we could elect to monitor pH on a continuous basis or take a
measurement at a given interval. The same person needs to take the measurement or
monitor the continuous chart. How often will we need to decide who will do the
monitoring. The key to determining time is the potential suspect product that would be
produced. If a measurement it taken and it is found to be outside the critical limit, the
product that was produced since the previous measure which was within the critical limit
is called suspect product. How much product will you product between monitoring
measurements? If your measurement exceeded the critical limit, your product is
potentially adulterated. Therefore, you need to balance monitoring times with product
being produced. For our example, we will state that our quality control person will take
pH measurements in both wash tanks every two hours.
Principle 5: Establish corrective actions to be taken when monitoring indicates a
deviation from the critical limit. Specific actions to be taken in the event of a deviation
must be outlined for every CCP. It is important also that the employee monitoring the
CCP immediately take corrective action. For example, if the monitor finds the pH to be
9.5 instead of 10.0 corrective action must be taken immediately. Specific procedures

should be written that tell the employee how to correct the pH, what to do with the
product that was produced since the previous monitoring time
Food Safety: HACCP in Eggs and Egg Products Figure 2. Decision Tree
when the pH was within the critical limit. Instructions should be specific enough for the
employee to carry out the corrective action immediately. Planned procedures should
include: What actions must be taken? In our example, do they add more detergent? How
much more should be added? How does the employee know when the process is back in
control? What happens to all the product that was produced? Should it be reprocessed?
Do you hold the product and run microbial tests? How do you insure that adulterated
product is not being shipped? The employ must also document what action was taken.
Taking measurements and not taking action as a result of these measurements is not only
fruitless, it is dangerous from a legal perspective since you have identified a problem and
chosen to ignore it.
Principle 6: Establish a record keeping system.
All data obtaining during monitoring must be recorded immediately. Any corrective
actions must also be recorded. You will probably want to design record keeping forms
which meet the specific needs of your HACCP plan. Do not mix your quality record with
your HACCP records. HACCP records should contain only safety related data.
Calibration records for your pH meters, thermometers or other equipment you might use
in monitoring should be a part of your HACCP plan. Any employee training related to
your HACCP plan should also be documented. Remember, if it is not documented you
cannot prove you did it. All these records do not help you if you dont review them.
Management should review the HACCP records to look for trends. HACCP can help you
locate potential problem before they occur.
Principle 7: Establish procedures to verify that your HACCP plan is working.
Management personnel should be responsible for verifying that the system works. This
might include monitoring that measurements are being taken and recorded at the
appropriate time. Verification can also include things like microbial tests to verify that
your plan is doing what you intended.
Summary
Although HACCP plans are not currently mandatory, processors who develop and
implement plans for their facilities now many be in stronger marketing positions than
those who do not. Furthermore, the development and implementation of a well designed
HACCP plan will provide a processor with a way to insure the production of a safe, high
quality egg for market.
Excerpted from the 1998 Proceedings
of the Midwest Poultry Federation
Convention. o