Effect of drying temperatures on the proximate composition and sensory attributes of chicken egg

Abstract

A study was conducted to dry chicken eggs in order to determine the effect of drying temperatures on the proximate composition and sensory attributes of dried eggs. The albumen, yolk and whole egg were dried separately at temperatures of 50, 55 and 60^oC. The drying time for the samples ranged from 7hrs20mins to 13hrs50mins. The protein and fat contents of the dried whole egg at the drying temperatures ranged from 47.52 - 50.90% and 35.12 - 35.88%; for dried egg white, 79.32 - 79.58% and 5.28 - 5.7% and for dried egg yolk, 36.08 -36.36% and 53.56 - 54.52% respectively. Results of the proximate composition showed that the nutritional qualities of the dried eggs were retained during drying thus the drying temperature did not affect the quality of eggs. The moisture contents of the dried whole egg, dried egg yolk and dried egg white at the different temperatures range from 6.25 -7.23%, 3.51-3.62% and 6.96 - 8.84%. The low moisture contents indicate that dried eggs are shelf stable. No significant difference was observed in the proximate composition and sensory attributes of the dried whole egg, egg yolk and egg white except in the aroma of the eggs dried at different temperatures.

Keywords: Albumen, yolk, egg, protein, fat