Effect of time and storage conditions on albumen quality of eggs from hens fed vanadium

This experiment was conducted to study the albumen quality of eggs from 60-wk-old hens fed 0 or 10 ppm supplemental vanadium (V) as influenced by storage conditions and length of storage time as well as the effect of V feeding and withdrawal on albumen quality over time. After hens were fed V for 23 d, eggs were collected and stored in the laying house at ambient temperature or in a cooler (15.5 degrees C, 60% relative humidity) for 1, 3, 5, or 7 d. Eggs were then broken, and Haugh units (HU) were calculated. Hens fed V had poorer albumen quality than eggs from birds fed the control diet (62.5 vs. 72.1 HU, respectively). Eggs stored in the layer house had poorer albumen quality than those stored in the cooler (63.9 vs. 70.7 HU, respectively). Increasing storage time also had a detrimental effect on albumen quality. Quality declined more rapidly in eggs stored at ambient temperature than in the cooler, but it was not influenced by dietary V. Thus, there was no 3-way interaction as hypothesized. After 7 d of feeding hens 10 ppm V, their eggs had poorer albumen quality than eggs from hens fed the control diet. Time analysis indicated that the significant negative effect to albumen quality occurred in V-fed hens on d 1, 2, 5, and 12 of supplementation. When these hens were then switched to the control diet after 30 d of V supplementation, albumen quality continued to decline for 2 d but did not differ by d 6 from that of eggs from hens given the control diet.