Fresh eggs

The trade in consumer eggs is regulated by a series of strict national and EU directives.

The evaluation of the quality of an egg passes first of all through a careful reading of the label, on which, by law, the following indications must be reported:

date of preferable consumption (for fresh eggs it is considered passed on the 28th day after laying, but the retailer must withdraw them from the market seven days before the deadline);
quality and weight category;
number of packaged eggs;
name and company name, or the trademark of the packing center;
recommendations for a correct conservation mode.

Optional information on the label: date of laying, indication of the best use of the egg (for example eggs for yellow pasta), training system (on the ground, with organic methods etc.) and feeding received from the hen (exclusively vegetable diet etc.) ).

Quality categories	Features
Category A	Fresh eggs, not washed, or refrigerated or subjected to conservation treatments, inner tube less than 6 mm in height, less than 28 days from packaging.

	Extra fresh eggs, like the previous ones, but with an inner tube less than 4 mm and less than 7 days from the packaging or nine from the deposition.

B category	Second quality or preserved eggs. They are refrigerated at a temperature lower than 5 ° C or stored in a different mixture than atmospheric. Inner tube less than 9 mm.

Category C	Downgraded eggs for the food industry; they do not meet the requirements of category A and B eggs.
Weight categories	Weight
XL - very large	from 73 grams and more
L - large	from 63 to 73 grams
M-medias	from 53 to 63 grams
S - small	less than 53 grams

SOURCE TABLE: Cabras Paolo; Martelli Aldo - Food chemistry

Further indications derive from the interpretation of the eleven-digit alphanumeric code printed on the shell.

At the beginning of the code there is a number indicating the farming system for laying hens:
- 0 for organic farming,
- 1 for outdoor breeding,
- 2 for the one on the ground,
- 3 for the caged one (or battery).
An abbreviation follows which specifies the country of production (IT for Italy, SP for Spain, FR for France and so on). Another three-digit number indicates the municipality of origin; the abbreviation of the breeding province is also reported (FE for Ferrara, VR for Verona, NA for Naples, etc.).
The last three digits identify the breeding from which they come, by means of a numerical sequence that is assigned by the local health authorities after the checks on the suitability of the company.

Once purchased, the eggs must be kept in the refrigerator in the appropriate compartment, avoiding as much as possible changes in temperature.

The classic domestic control over their freshness consists in immersing them in cold water and salt; only the fresh eggs are deposited horizontally on the bottom, while the others float. In fact, the more the egg ages, the more the inner tube increases (ie the space not occupied by albumen and yolk).

Finally, remember that a fresh egg always has the following characteristics: