ABSTRACT

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of storage method and duration on external and internal qualities of Japanese quail eggs for three storage method(oiling, earthen pot and room temperature) and four storage durations (7,14,21 and 28 days) were used. A total of three hundred and ten eggs were used for this experiment. Eggs were collected daily then oiled and stored on a tray while some where unoiled and stored in an earthen pot and at room temperature (22-24°C) for 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. At the designated day, the eggs were processed to evaluate their internal and external qualities. All data collected were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using GLM procedure of SAS (2008). Means separation was done using Tukey's Honesty Significant Difference of SAS Procedure.There was no significant difference between the storage methods for the egg height. Also, the Egg breadth for

Control (24.45) was significantly different from Room.temp (23.75), earthen pot (23.27) and Oiling (23.76). There was significant difference between the yolk height at Control (8.806), oiling (6.67), room. temp (6.07) and earthen pot (5.68). The yolk diameter showed significant difference (P > 0.05) between control (23.58), Room temperature (27.02), earthen pot (26.34) and Oiling (25.03). The yolk diameter of oiled and earthen pot stored eggs did not differ (P>0.05) from.each other but were significantly (P<0.05) different from.those of eggs stored at room temperature. Albumen weight in control (5.41) was highly significant to earthen pot (3.48), significant to oiling (3.92) and room temperature (3.84) which is due to the different storage methods used. Albumen height showed that the control experiment (3.81) was significant to oiling method (3.33), room temp stored eggs (3.14) and earthen pot stored eggs (3.04). Shell weight showed that room temp stored eggs (1.31) was significant to oiled eggs (1.29), earthen pot eggs (1.29) and control (1.19); this was due to the effect of storage method used. All eggs stored in the different methods, increased egg percent yolk weight, yolk diameter and reduced Haugh units, percent albumen weight, albumen height, yolk height at 28 days of storage. Yolk colon changed during the whole storage period, especially at 28 days. However, eggs oiled showed better quality up to 28 days and in earthen pot up to 14 days.