Thread: Here's an easy one. (raw eggs)

So where I live there it is sort of a known thing (at least among my family) not to eat an egg raw. I am thinking it has something to do with bacteria.

Can bacteria get inside an egg before it is opened?

eating eggs raw is nothing special or dangerous, some of my friends do it everyday and they are just fine
the only bad thing i know of is its horrible to swollow when it comes to the yellow part, even if you mix it some parts get stuck on teeths and dangle down the throat, dont feel so good but nothing a glass of water cant cure

The outer shell of an egg gets bacteria on it which isn't the best for humans (it came out of a chicken...)

But the inside, I believe, is relatively bacteria-free as long as the shell is intact...

-Ajain

And you don't suppose that micro organisms present in the chicken could be transfered to the egg? No, I guess not.

All those reports on salmonella and the consequent human deaths must just be a product of the overactive imaginations of tabloid journalists.

Originally Posted by Ophiolite

And you don't suppose that micro organisms present in the chicken could be transfered to the egg? No, I guess not.

All those reports on salmonella and the consequent human deaths must just be a product of the overactive imaginations of tabloid journalists.

O.k. I can't tell if your being sarcastic or not.

Sarcasm. Deliberate sarcasm. Directed at Zelos. His irresponsible dismissal of a well established health issue deserves it. Inaccurate posts on matters of physics are not going to kill anyone. Failing to urge caution in eating raw eggs could.

In the uk aren't all the eggs treated for salmanella? the ones with the lion stamp on? or is that for some other treatment?

My understanding of the issue of salmonella and raw eggs has to do with the shell. The outside of the shell.

I'm no expert and might well be wrong on this, but it's always been how I've heard it talked about.

See, cracking open an egg is a simple thing, yes? Well. It can be. But it is rife with possibilities for disaster. Many possibilities for bacteria on the outside of the shell getting onto the contents of the egg after opening.

A probabilities game, I should think.

When making general health recommendations, agencies must always err on the side of caution. It would be irresponsible for a health agency to not warn against eating of raw eggs simply because of the slight (however slight it might be) chance of bacteria from the shell getting on the albumen or yolk of the egg.

Especially in a climate that is prone to litigation for such things as getting burned by pickles from McDonalds' hamburgers...



Hmm.
Figured I'd do a little googling.
Found this:

<blockquote>The inside of an egg was once considered almost sterile. But, over recent years, the bacterium Salmonella enteritidis (Se) has been found inside a small number of eggs. Scientists estimate that, on average across the U.S., only 1 of every 20,000 eggs might contain the bacteria. So, the likelihood that an egg might contain Se is extremely small – 0.005% (five one-thousandths of one percent). At this rate, if you’re an average consumer, you might encounter a contaminated egg once every 84 years.</blockquote>
http://www.aeb.org/LearnMore/EggSafety.htm

Just how safe do you need to be? The modern obsession with safety is quite disturbing to me. Especially as it's mostly, in my opinion, insincere. It is fear of litigation, not concern for health, that is the issue here.

If you freshly crack an egg and eat it raw immediately, it is fine. You just aren't supposed to eat them raw because they get infested with bacteria relatively quickly and they spoil quite rapidly once they have been cracked.

If the egg has been kept cool, I dont think you will get salmonella if you eat it soon after you take it out of the fridge and crack it, why you would want to do this I dont know other than to get the protein but a protein shake works alot better and most dont make you gag.

rocky did it,,

You would think over thousands of years of chicken evolution, the idea of "putting bacteria in your eggs - your offspring" wouldn't go over too well. Well i guess that's one of those things that just leaks through the system, eh.

When you are using raw egg for cooking, you must take it the fresh brand only.
It will not be 100% proof against salmonella, BTW.

If the inside of an egg was sterile, would it ever go rotten?

Depends by what you mean by rotten - the proteins could denature without any bacterial influences.

My understanding of this issue is that egg shells will naturally come in contact with chicken faeces, but bacteria cannot penetrate the shell of the egg.

However, it is very easy for an egg shell to get cracked on the way to your local shop. Hairline cracks can be very difficult to spot but will never-the-less let in salmonella and other faecal bacteria. If bacteria have penetrated through a crack in the egg shell it will not necessarily be obvious just by looking.

For this reason it is always best to ensure that eggs are cooked through before you eat them. However, if you trust 100% that the egg shell is intact then cracking the egg and immediately eating it raw is perfectly safe.

Originally Posted by Zelos

eating eggs raw is nothing special or dangerous, some of my friends do it everyday and they are just fine
the only bad thing i know of is its horrible to swollow when it comes to the yellow part, even if you mix it some parts get stuck on teeths and dangle down the throat, dont feel so good but nothing a glass of water cant cure

I have eaten a pasta dish called pasta carbonara and what you do is you crack a raw egg over the pasta and mix it in. Quite good, actually. And I've never gotten sick off of it.

Wow I was gone for a few days, thanks for the great replies.

I would like to add some more questions.

Isn't salmanella almost harmless anyways? I here it only lasts a few days.

What is with the preserved Duck eggs. Are they black because they have roted? I only see them in fridges so I assume they are kept cold enough to keep out bacteria. I'm gonna buy some soon and try some.

Originally Posted by kingjacob

why you would want to do this I dont know other than to get the protein but a protein shake works alot better and most dont make you gag.

Key word being "most". I'm have decided to like all food that is edible and so I feel I must try as much as I can to prove to myself that good or bad taste is all in the mind. I find that if something is 'gross' or makes you gag at first, the more you eat it the better it tastes. Like when children gag at the bitter taste of vegetables.

It is much easier to crack open an egg an eat it than it is to make or buy a shake, or cook the egg. Well maybe not for everyone.

First of all, salmonella is NOT harmless. 10.000 people die from a salmonella infection every year (mostly 3th world countries).

Second of all, the bacteria CAN penetrate the shell, EASILY!!! All that's between the bacteria and the egg is the membrane.

When you boil the egg you kill the bacteria, but also destroy the membrane. Still the egg would rot a little less fast.

Second of all, campylobacter is more dangerous than salmonella. But still causes less deaths than salmonella. And that's also what might be on your egg. Campylobacter can penetrate the membrane a lot faster than salmonella!!!

Originally Posted by DaBOB

What is with the preserved Duck eggs. Are they black because they have roted? I only see them in fridges so I assume they are kept cold enough to keep out bacteria. I'm gonna buy some soon and try some.

Key word being "most". I'm have decided to like all food that is edible and so I feel I must try as much as I can to prove to myself that good or bad taste is all in the mind. I find that if something is 'gross' or makes you gag at first, the more you eat it the better it tastes. Like when children gag at the bitter taste of vegetables.

Are you talking about the chinese black eggs (thousand-year-old eggs)? They are black because of a chemical reaction with alkali produced when the are buried in clay. You may be open to trying all different types of food but I will never, ever in my whole life put one of those damn things in my mouth!!!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thousand-year-old_egg

Google.

Don't know how reliable it is.

http://www.aeb.org/LearnMore/EggSafety.htm

The inside of an egg was once considered almost sterile. But, over recent years, the bacterium Salmonella enteritidis (Se) has been found inside a small number of eggs. Scientists estimate that, on average across the U.S., only 1 of every 20,000 eggs might contain the bacteria. So, the likelihood that an egg might contain Se is extremely small – 0.005% (five one-thousandths of one percent). At this rate, if you’re an average consumer, you might encounter a contaminated egg once every 84 years.

4. Doesn't the eggshell protect an egg from bacteria?

Yes and no. The egg has many natural, built-in barriers to help prevent bacteria from entering and growing. These protect the egg on its way from the hen to your home. But, although it does help, the porous shell itself is not a foolproof bacterial barrier. For further safety, government regulations require that eggs be carefully washed with special detergent and sanitized. Then, the hen’s original protective shell coating is generally replaced by a thin spray coating of a tasteless, odorless, harmless, natural mineral oil. A shiny shell indicates oiling, rather than an unsafe or old egg.

Bacteria, if they are present at all, are most likely to be in the white and will be unable to grow, mostly due to lack of nutrients. As the egg ages, however, the white thins and the yolk membrane weakens. This makes it possible for bacteria to reach the nutrient-dense yolk where they can grow over time if the egg is kept at warm temperatures. But, in a clean, uncracked, fresh shell egg, internal contamination occurs only rarely.

If an egg containing Salmonella has been kept refrigerated and someone who uses good hygiene practices serves it to you immediately after proper cooking, you’ll simply have a nutritious meal. If the egg has been improperly handled, though, you might experience the foodborne illness called salmonellosis. You could have symptoms of abdominal cramps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, chills, fever and/or headache within 6 to 72 hours after eating. The symptoms usually last only a day or two in healthy people but can lead to serious complications for the very young, pregnant women, the elderly, the ill and those with immune system disorders. Anyone who has had salmonellosis may pass along the bacteria for several weeks after recovering, but salmonellosis is seldom fatal. While the risk of getting salmonellosis is very small, there’s no need to take chances because cooking kills Salmonella.

Ya and if we all used google there would be no threads here. Plus I have already looked at google, I ask here for more insight. I have been working at a grocery store and they say that even if you do get salmanella you will only have to miss like a day or two of work (depending on your health). Why is it you say it is so deadly?

Hmmm... I wonder how someone thought of putting an egg in clay.