Natural Approaches for Improving Postharvest Safety of Egg and Egg Products

Eggs constitute a vital part of the human diet globally. Due to increasing concerns of food-borne outbreaks caused by consumption of contaminated egg and egg products, controlling egg-borne pathogens at the farm level and during processing is warranted. Postharvest treatment of eggs is essential to minimize product contamination from poultry house and processing plants, and reduce residual antibiotics, disinfectants, or synthetic chemicals on eggs. The common practices to enhance egg safety include effective eggshell decontamination by wash/spray and storage at refrigeration to prevent growth of food-borne pathogens, especially Salmonella. Despite the aforementioned practices, egg and egg products contaminated with Salmonella have been frequently implicated in outbreaks worldwide. Thus there is an interest to identify novel strategies for improving postharvest egg safety, especially those involving natural and environment friendly approaches. Extensive research in the last few decades has identified many plant- and animal-derived natural molecules exhibiting antimicrobial properties against an array of food-borne pathogens. This chapter discusses the efficacy of various traditional and natural approaches, including phytochemicals, organic compounds, probiotics, and bacteriophages in improving the microbiological safety of eggs.