A study on the presentation variety and quality diversity of the eggs marketed in Adana

The study was carried out to examine the presentation variety of the eggs marketed in certain stores in Adana, namely Real, Carrefour, Migros and Yonca, to find out whether the essential information is available on the labels/packages and up to the standards set by Turkish Food Codex (Türk Gıda Kodeksi Yönetmeliği) and determine internal and external quality of these eggs. Samples were taken once a week, six for every different presentation variety from every store, three times at total. Six eggs taken from each store depending on brand and packaging style examined via measurements on their internal and external qualities. Egg weight, shell thickness, shell weight, shell colour and shape index were determined as external quality features, whereas white index, yellow index, yellow weight, yolk colour and Haugh unit were used as internal quality features. The information given on the label or package of the egg was determined, and it was checked whether this is proper according to Turkish Food Codex.After examining 772 eggs from different stores, it was found that the differences between brands or stores were not statistically significant regarding egg weight, shape index, white index, yellow weight, yolk colour and shell thickness (P?0.05), whereas there were statistically significant differences among either producers or stores as to yellow index, meat-blood spots and Haugh Unit (P<0.05). The agreement of the information on packages or labels with Turkish Food Codex was 90% on average. However, although it varied from one producer to another, the agreement between internal and external quality was 40% on average.As a conclusion, it can be suggested that great stores in city centre of Adana and producer companies selling their product to these should be more cautious to maintain egg quality.