Home > Food Safety for the preparation of Raw Egg Products

Receiving and storing eggs:

Maintaining food safety begins by ensuring only safe and suitable ingredients are purchased from a supplier and that these items are stored correctly. The following information is provided to assist meeting the requirements of the Food Standards Code regarding the receipt and storage of food.

Supplier and food information

• A list of food suppliers should be maintained in case they need to be contacted.
• For all foods, the label or receipt needs to contain details of suppliers’ names and addresses. Phone contact details should also be kept.
• Only accept eggs that are:

– Clean, not cracked or leaking, and stamped.

– supplied in clean packaging.

– correctly labelled (i.e. with name of the food, the supplier’s name and address date marking).

• Ensure proper stock rotation so that the oldest stock is used first (as long as they are within date).
• Items that do not meet these requirements should be returned to the supplier.

Storage of whole eggs

• Store whole eggs (egg in shell) in a refrigerator or cool room.
• Avoid temperature fluctuations and only take out what is required for service.
• Don’t store fresh egg pulp that has been collected (pooled) in a bowl.

Other foods

Potentially hazardous foods and certain raw products will need to be stored under refrigeration at or below 5°C. This includes meat, chicken, seafood, dairy products and eggs.

• Only receive foods that are within their ‘Use-by’ date or ‘Best Before’ date.
• Only receive potentially hazardous food that has been transported under temperature control.
• Once received, all potentially hazardous foods must be placed under refrigerated storage at or below 5°C.
• Refrigerated raw ingredients must be stored separately from ready-to-eat foods and ingredients.
• Raw foods such as uncooked chicken and meat must not be placed above ready-to-eat foods in the refrigerator to prevent the raw juices from dripping onto them.
• Refrigerated unpackaged foods and ingredients must be covered during receipt and storage to protect against contamination.
• Store foods in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

Processing eggs – practical steps to control Salmonella:

Preparing foods can involve a great deal of handling of both raw and cooked foods. Because raw egg products are eaten without any further cooking it is important that they are prepared correctly and safely.

Raw foods can contain bacteria and, if not handled correctly, the numbers of bacteria can grow. Poor handling of cooked foods can result in cross-contamination from raw foods and if not stored correctly, the number of bacteria can grow.

Below are some main points to assist in proper preparation of foods, particularly raw egg products, and to help avoid cross-contamination.

Equipment and utensils

• All equipment and utensils must be in good condition and able to be easily cleaned and sanitised.
• Food contact surfaces such as equipment, benches and utensils are to be clean and sanitised before use.
• Boards and utensils must be cleaned and sanitised between preparing different foods, especially when preparing foods that will not be further cooked (e.g. raw egg products).
• Use a sanitised egg separator to separate egg yolk from egg whites. Eggs must not be separated using their shells as the shells may contain traces of Salmonella on the surface.

Personal hygiene

All persons preparing and handling food must ensure they follow good personal hygiene practices:

• People who are sick with vomiting, diarrhoea or fever must not prepare or serve food.
• Take all practicable measures to prevent unnecessary contact with ready-to-eat food.
• Wash hands prior to preparing food and after handling non-food articles, using the toilet, smoking, drinking, eating and touching hair, scalp or body.
• Wash hands between handling of raw ingredients and ready-to-eat foods.

Use of disposable gloves

It is not mandatory for food handlers to use disposable gloves, although if used correctly they can assist with minimising contamination. When using disposable gloves they must be:

• Only used for one continuous task and then discarded.
• Regularly changed to avoid cross-contamination – this is especially the case when changing from preparing raw ingredients to handling ready-to-eat foods.
• Always discarded and not kept for later use once taken off.
• Removed and discarded before using the toilet, smoking, eating, drinking or touching the hair, scalp or body.

Handling of eggs

Because eggs can harbour Salmonella on the surface, the handling of eggs is critical. When handling eggs, follow these guidelines:

• Do not use dirty, cracked or unstamped eggs.
• Do not wash eggs. Washing makes them more susceptible to contamination. Discard dirty and cracked eggs.
• Visually inspect eggs before use to ensure there are no hairline cracks.
• Use raw egg pulp immediately – i.e. do not pool or store raw egg batches.
• Use a sanitised egg separator.
• Regularly prepare fresh batches of raw egg mixture
• For acidified egg product: document pH and storage times, store for maximum of 24 hours at or below 5˚C.
• If any raw egg product is out of temperature control (i.e. not at or below 5˚C), then storage times and temperatures must be documented to demonstrate evidence of compliance with the ‘4-hour / 2-hour rule’

Preparation of acidified raw egg product

Eggs can be pasteurised in shell using a sous vide method. The pasteurised eggs can then be used in sauces or desserts, just like raw eggs. An example recipe for sous vide pasteurised shell egg is to hold the eggs in a water bath at temperature of 57°C for at least 75 minutes (Baldwin, 2010)1 . Correct procedures should be followed to ensure the eggs are safe to use:

• Every batch of sous vide cooking should be documented.
• Commercial equipment with adequate heating capacity and excellent temperature control should be used.
• Correct water temperature is essential for sous vide and it should be checked using a tip sensitive digital thermometer that is accurate to 0.1°C.
• Raw shell eggs must be fully immersed in the water bath.
• Eggs cooked using sous vide methods should be used immediately or cooled and refrigerated.
• If eggs are to be stored, they should be rapidly cooled in a 50:50 ice-water bath. Once cooled, they should be stored at or below 5°C in their shells for a maximum of ten days. They should be clearly labelled and stored separately from raw eggs.

Temperature control

• Temperature control throughout the operation is critical in minimizing microbial growth, e.g. raw egg product must be at or below 5˚C. This includes all operations during receipt, processing, storage and display.
• If the raw egg product is out of temperature control (i.e., not at or below 5˚C), there must be documented evidence that the below ‘4-hour / 2-hour’ rule is being met.

Temperature measuring device

Businesses handling potentially hazardous foods must have a temperature measuring device. Thermometers must be easily accessible and able to accurately measure temperatures to +/- 1°C. Hence, thermometers should be calibrated to ensure accuracy.

Storage and display

Product must be stored and displayed to prevent cross-contamination. This includes:

prepare and store in the same container that will be used for service (to prevent extra handling and potential for cross-contamination)

• use date labels to ensure only fresh batches are used
• do not top up or mix batches
• for acidified raw egg products:

– make fresh batches daily

– store at or less than 5°C

– discard at end of day and store no longer than 24 hours.

• For sous vide pasteurized eggs:

– store at or less than 5°C in their shells

– discard within ten days of pasteurization.

Premises

The cleanliness of the premises, fixtures and fittings assist in minimising cross contamination. In particular the following is important:

• An acceptable hand washing facility that includes:

– warm running water

– soap

– single-use hand towels, for example paper towels.

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