Effects of Ultrahigh Temperature Pasteurization on the Liquid Components and Functional Properties of Stored Liquid Whole Eggs

Ultrahigh temperature (UHT) pasteurization is often used to sterilize liquid whole eggs in egg processing enterprises in China. Although this treatment generates satisfactory sterilization effect, there are few studies on the processing characteristics and physical and chemical properties of the liquid whole eggs treated by UHT pasteurization. We compared the physical and chemical properties (i.e., foaming ability and stability, emulsification ability and stability, viscosity, thiol content, gel strength, and color) of unsterilized eggs and liquid whole eggs pasteurized with UHT over five weeks of storage. The emulsifying properties of sterilized liquid whole eggs were initially low and decreased further with the storage time. The emulsification stability index of UHT-pasteurized liquid whole eggs was higher than that of unsterilized eggs and increased by 21.9%, from 7.850 to 9.567. The foaming ability of UHT-pasteurized and unsterilized liquid whole eggs increased by 33.38% and 15.48%, respectively. The viscosity, gel strength, and soluble protein content were higher in UHT-pasteurized liquid whole eggs than those in unsterilized liquid whole eggs and increased further with storage time. Our results demonstrate that UHT pasteurization preserves and improves the processing characteristics and shelf life of liquid whole eggs.