Eggs are natural, perishable foods. Very rarely, an egg may spoil because bacteria enter and grow inside the egg.  This can happen at different stages — at the farm, during handling, during transport, at the retail store or even during customer storage. 

The presence of bacteria does not always mean the egg spoils immediately. An egg may look normal at first, but under favourable conditions such as heat, humidity, temperature fluctuation, or longer storage, bacteria can grow and eventually spoil the egg.

 

Why can an egg spoil?

• Invisible hairline cracks
  A shell may look normal from the outside, but a very tiny crack can allow bacteria to enter the egg. These cracks can sometimes be difficult to detect even during inspection.

• Bacteria entering through shell pores
  Eggshells are naturally porous. If bacteria are present on the shell and the conditions are favourable, they may move inward. The risk becomes higher when the egg is wet, dirty, cracked or exposed to temperature fluctuation.

• Temperature fluctuation and sweating
  When refrigerated, cold eggs are moved into a warm and humid environment, condensation can form on the shell. If the eggs are not kept back in the refrigerator within 1-2 hours, this moisture can increase the chance of bacteria multiplying and moving through the shell pores.

• Improper storage temperature
  Eggs have a shorter shelf life at higher temperatures. Heat, direct sunlight, humidity and repeated temperature changes can reduce freshness and increase the risk of spoilage.

• Rough handling during collection, transport, or packing
  Dropping, pressure, stacking, vibration during transport or rough tray handling can create fine cracks that are difficult to see with the naked eye.

• Age of the egg
  As eggs age, the air cell grows, the egg white becomes thinner and the yolk membrane becomes weaker. Older eggs are not automatically spoiled, but poor storage can increase the chance of quality deterioration.

• Rare internal contamination before laying
  In rare cases, bacteria may already be present inside the egg before the shell is formed.

 

Can spoiled eggs be completely prevented?

Detecting and rejecting eggs with hairline cracks, proper handling and storage at cooler temperatures, can greatly reduce the risk of spoilage.

However, there is no practical commercial inspection technique, machine or quality-control system that can guarantee with 100% certainty that every individual shell egg will be unspoiled until it is broken open. 

Even with proper handling and storage temperatures, other factors can still occur. Invisible hairline cracks can be missed. While there are world-class machines that detects such hairline cracks with high accuracy, but none of them guarantee 100% detection. Even if there are no hairline cracks, there is chance that bacterial contamination would have happened during the formation of the egg within the hen itself. 

That is why no responsible egg brand can honestly claim that every egg is 100% spoilage-free before it is broken open.

How can customers identify a spoiled egg?

However, this is nothing to worry. Eggs have been consumed for thousands of years and spoilt eggs are rare phenomenon. You can still identify spoilt eggs by bad smell and abnormal color/appearance. It is always recommended to break eggs into a separate bowl before adding them to food. 

What does Prrax do to reduce the risk?

Every Prrax egg goes through a strict quality-control process designed to reduce the risk of spoilage. This includes clean nest management, frequent collection, crack rejection, candling, careful packing, batch tracking and proper storage temperatures. 

While no brand can guarantee that every natural shell egg will be perfect before it is broken open, we take every practical step to protect quality. 

Our quality support promise

If you ever find even a single spoiled egg, please contact us with the pack details and a photo or video. We will replace or reimburse the entire pack as part of our quality-support commitment.