So what does Bahrain think about the need for egg washing machines?

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

To wash or not to wash eggs? It’s an intriguing question, being asked by people too often. The United States Department of Agriculture requires producers to wash eggs with warm water at least 20°F warmer than the internal temperature of the eggs and at a minimum of 90°F. They also insist on using a detergent that does not impart any foreign odours to the eggs.

After washing, farmers must rinse the eggs with a warm water spray containing a chemical sanitiser to remove any remaining bacteria. They are then dried to remove excess moisture.

Experts say the last step is crucial to prevent bacteria from penetrating the eggshells, which are porous. But then others say there is more to washing an egg than one might think.

Nature designed these eggshells as porous, but just as a hen is about to lay it, she applies a liquid coating around it to protect it against contamination. According to EU egg marketing regulations, this cuticle provides “an effective barrier to bacterial ingress with an array of antimicrobial properties.” EU text also adds that washing could damage the cuticle making eggs even more vulnerable to contamination from pathogens and other microorganisms rather than providing an additional safety net. To counter that argument, the egg producers in the US applies a thin layer of odourless, colourless mineral oil before letting it go onto the shelves. However, believe it or not, the USDA graded eggs are illegal in the UK, or for that reason, anywhere in the European Union. Because, when the US law calls for washing the eggs, EU law states that the eggs found on supermarket shelves must not be washed or cleaned in any way. And that debate still goes on.

What does Bahrain think about it?

The question, however, is, where does Bahrain stand in the egg(dy) debate? The tender board says Bahraini producers are using machines to fix this. In fact, the General Poultry company or Dawajin has opened a tender calling for suppliers to provide an “Egg washing machine for washing the eggs.” The tender requires that the machine should have automatic dosing of cleaning detergent, oiler, direct steam heating system, vacuum pump and piping, egg Blower, loading section roller stainless steel conveyor.

But not everyone can participate in the tender, as “participation is only for manufacturers.” The tender, which closes on the 11th of next month, confirms that third-party vendors are not welcome.

Printing on eggs

The General Poultry company also plan to mark the eggs that stand cleaned and ready using “egg printers.” For this, Dawajin had published another tender to purchase three egg-printers.

The printers should have “continuous inkjet codder, auto flush system, certified green food-grade ink to print up to 3 lines in eggshell with full capability to integrate with MOBA egg collection machine, 6 m conduit & 60-micron print head nozzle.” Here also, the tender board document says participation is for manufacturers only. So, if you are a manufacturer of such machines, log onto the tender board website to log your bids.