Food scientists found a way to keep raw eggs fresh longer

Researchers at Louisiana State University claim to have developed a method to extend the shelf life of raw eggs, improving storage and food safety.

Their patented process uses water-soluble chitosan derived from crustacean shells to create a protective barrier against moisture loss and bacterial contamination, according to information provided by the LSU Agricultural Center.

Eggs that have this protective coating can remain safe and edible for up to seven weeks at room temperature, LSU food scientist Yupeng Gao told Fox News Digital.

Gao, based in Baton Rouge, worked on the project alongside fellow LSU Agricultural Center food scientists.

Chitosan is already used as a food preservative in fruits and vegetables, for example, according to LSU, and in certain medicines, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Current processes require chitosan to be dissolved in an acidic liquid such as vinegar for eight to 10 hours before it is ready to be applied as a coating to food, the researchers said.

This leaves a “really strong and pungent smell when you paint food, especially fruit and fish,” Gao said.

LSU’s new water-based digestion process takes 15 minutes, Gao said.

“So it really helps to save time and save energy when you get those eggs from farm to table,” she said.

Also, because acidic liquids are not involved, there is no smell, Gao said.

The result of the process is a better barrier, preserving the quality of raw eggs longer and helping them maintain a “B” grade—which the U.S. Department of Agriculture categorizes as edible—for up to seven weeks at room temperature, compared to two to four weeks for uncoated eggs, according to LSU.

“We can slow down the water loss and also stop bacteria from getting inside the eggs,” Gao said.

However, this does not mean that someone who buys eggs at a grocery store should leave those eggs on the counter.

It can take quite some time before this process starts towards store-bought eggs.

Wade Baumgartner, director of LSU’s Office of Sponsored Programs and Intellectual Property, told Fox News Digital that the university’s role is not to seek regulatory approvals from the US Food and Drug Administration, or USDA.

“What we would do is probably partner with a company that was looking to commercialize it, and then they would be the ones to move forward with regulatory approvals if required,” he said.

Fox News Digital contacted the FDA and USDA. A spokesman for the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said eggshells are under the FDA’s purview and referred all questions to that office.

“In general, the FDA does not comment on specific studies, but evaluates them as part of the evidence to further our understanding of a particular issue and to assist in our mission to protect public health,” an FDA spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

The process is not exclusive to eggs, as the LSU researchers said they have also successfully tested it on chicken, catfish and oysters.

Baumgartner called the egg project “a demonstration of the capability of the technology.”

Now, he said, the hope is that it can be used.

“There are many different directions you can take this technology,” Baumgartner said.

This includes preserving the food and finding a business partner who “would be interested in taking the technology, manufacturing the product and bringing it to market for an ingredient company, or someone like that, who can move it into the commercial space.” “.