The current investigation was conducted to study the effectiveness of chitosan coating in preserving the internal quality of table eggs stored under tropical room conditions of 32 ± 1 °C and 60-70 % r. h. Internal, physical and microbiological quality of eggs coated with chitosan was evaluated during 5-week storage at different temperature (22 ± 1 and 32 ± 1 °C). Chitin was extracted from shrimp processing raw byproducts and deacetylated to high quality chitosan. The prepared chitosan was analyzed for its characteristic properties. The chitosan with a viscosity of 2206 mPa.S was used to prepare the coating solution. The weight loss, Haugh unit, and yolk index values suggested that coating of eggs with shrimp α-chitosan increased the shelf life of eggs by almost 4-week at 22 ± 1 °C and 3-week at 32 ± 1 °C compared with controls (non chitosan coated and acetic acid coated) eggs. Three-time repeated coating was more effective in preserving the internal quality and preventing weight loss than with single-time coating of chitosan on egg. Therefore, three-time coating of eggs with 2206 mPa.S chitosan offer a protective barrier for preserving the internal quality of eggs stored at tropical room conditions and concomitantly prevent contamination with microorganisms.
Keywords: Chitosan; Chitosan coating; Egg; Egg quality; Haugh unit.