Decontamination of egg shells using ultraviolet light treatment

Decontamination of egg shells is required to improve the microbiological safety of the fresh hen eggs used for human consumption or for hatching. Conventional chemical decontamination methods involving quaternary ammonium disinfectant, sodium hydroxide, phenol, hydrogen peroxide or formaldehyde, leave residues on egg shells that may damage the cuticle layer. Therefore new techniques of egg shells decontamination, such as ultraviolet (UV) radiation, have been developed. This review aims to evaluate the data from available literature and to provide a general review of UV light treatment application for egg shell decontamination. Data shows that UV treatment was effective for the inactivation of the bacterial population present on clean egg shells and recently contaminated shells. Combined treatments such as UV light with ozone or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) improved the inactivation of microorganisms. Recent advances in science and engineering indicate that treatment with UV light has a competitive advantage in comparison with traditional egg shell sanitation treatments for decontamination.