Submitted to: Industria Avicola
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/1/2003
Publication Date: 4/1/2003
Citation: Mauldin, J.M., Berrang, M.E., Cox Jr, N.A. 2003. Saneamiento Mecánico de Huevos Incubables. Poultry USA. 50:14-19. Interpretive Summary:
Technical Abstract: Thirty or forty years ago, sanitation of hatching eggs in the United States was done by immersing a wire basket of eggs in a container with disinfectant and a heat source. Some eggs were not submerged long enough and others were submerged for too long, but the most significant problem was that the disinfectant solution was not changed often enough. Treatment efficacy was lost because organic material such as feces, dirt, and egg contents built up and the eggs were sometimes inoculated with bacteria rather than sanitized. The solution was cooled by the eggs, reducing the effect of the disinfectant. Bacterial contamination of the eggs caused problems during hatching and prejudiced the entire industry against wetting hatching eggs, even with disinfectant. In the last ten years, however, sanitizing of eggs has reappeared. Mechanical sanitation is very effective because it has eliminated the problems of immersion, such as time, temperature of the solution and organic material contamination of the sanitizing solution. Mechanical sanitation of hatching eggs gives the poultry industry one more opportunity to reduce the transfer from the breeder farm to the hatchery and from there to the chick and ultimately the processed broiler carcass.