Infertile eggs: cheaper, but safe to eat?

Infertile eggs are often sold in the market. Because the price per one kilo is priced at a low price, it's no wonder that many people buy infertile eggs as a cheaper substitute for ordinary eggs. However, are these types of eggs safe to eat?

What are infertile eggs?

Maybe there are still some people who think that all the eggs produced, including those that are commonly consumed, can grow into chicks. In fact, chicken eggs also come in several different types.

Depending on its function, chicken farms are divided into two, namely a chicken farm that produces eggs for consumption and a chicken farm for breeding to produce meat.

Please note, hens can still produce eggs even without roosters. Therefore, the chickens collected on farms that focus on egg production are not combined with roosters. The eggs produced from the chickens on the farm are the eggs for consumption.

It is different from the chickens that live on farms for meat production. On this farm, hens live with roosters so that fertilization can occur. The eggs produced by this hen are known as germinating eggs.

Source: QC Supplies

When the eggs germinate successfully into chicks, it means that the eggs are fertile eggs. Meanwhile, if the egg does not change even though it has been incubated, then this egg is an infertile egg.

Infertile eggs are also often considered as a waste product or unused product from chicken breeding.

Of course, the eggs we usually eat and the infertile ones have physical differences. Infertile egg shells are paler and lighter in weight than consumption eggs.

Is it safe to eat infertile eggs?

Eggs are still a source of protein that is widely consumed in Indonesia because the price is more affordable than the price of meat.

Quoted from the Center for Agricultural Data and Information Systems, the consumption of eggs in Indonesia has increased with an average increase of 3.75% per year from 1987 to 2015.

Now, infertile eggs that have been circulating for a long time are being bought by the public. In fact, their sale has been banned and is even regulated in the Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Indonesia Number 32 of 2017. However, a number of stalls still sell these eggs to eat.

Lower prices are the main reason for the distribution of these eggs. The next issue is whether this type of egg is really safe for consumption or not.

Actually, there is no difference in nutritional content between infertile eggs and other eggs. The only difference is the presence or absence of sperm in the egg. Infertile eggs are actually safe and can be consumed.

However, these eggs can only last up to a week, in contrast to ordinary eggs that last up to 30 days at room temperature.

Through that, the eggs have gone bad and are not suitable for consumption. Rotten eggs have salmonella bacteria contamination which can cause salmonellosis.

Salmonellosis is a bacterial disease that attacks the digestive tract. Symptoms are usually characterized by diarrhea, cramps around the stomach, dizziness, vomiting, and fever.

Although it can heal in a few days, diarrhea due to salmonella can lead to complications of dehydration which will require special treatment.

Therefore, you should consume eggs that are produced for daily food ingredients. Regardless of the type of egg, make sure the eggs you eat are still in good condition.

To find out, you can put an egg in a glass of water. If the eggs continue to sink, it is likely that they are still fresh. It is different if the egg floats and when it is cracked it gives off an unusual smell, do not eat it and set it aside immediately.