PETALING JAYA: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Public Health Medicine lecturer Prof Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh has warned consumers not to buy cracked or raw eggs that are sold cheaply as they could cause food poisoning.
She was commenting on a Facebook post in which an individual expressed concern over a grocery store selling 10 egg yolks in plastic bags for RM2 and wondered if purchasers would suffer food poisoning.
The post received 7,500 shares and among over 600 commenters, one said he had seen food sellers and bakers buying cracked eggs as they are cheap.
Sharifa Ezat said the health risk from cracked or raw eggs is high due to contamination from dirty eggshells, improper handling in terms of storage temperature, container cleanliness and the personal hygiene of the egg handlers.
“While eggs have nutrient rich proteins that are protected by their hard shells, the cracked or raw ones are vulnerable to bacterial or viral infection, which encourage the growth of micro-organisms. This is why the public must not buy cracked or raw eggs or their yolks.
“Those who sell them must immediately stop the practice as they are putting the public at risk of food poisoning,” she said, adding that salmonella bacteria, which commonly affects the intestinal tract, is often found in eggs.
She said if an egg is exposed to air, the beneficial bacteria could become harmful, increasing the health risk to consumers.
She said such eggs could cause nausea, headaches, stomach cramps, diarrhoea, fever and vomiting once consumed.
“When eggs go bad, they develop other types of bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, which leads to severe illnesses within six to 48 hours of consumption.”
She said children, the elderly, pregnant women and those with weak immune systems, such as transplant patients and individuals with HIV, AIDS, cancer and diabetes, are at greater risk of suffering serious illnesses from consuming rotten eggs.
“We should keep eggs in their shells if they are unused. It is important to store them in a refrigerator at temperatures below 4°C to help slow bacterial growth.”
She said the quality of eggs starts to decline after being kept at room temperature for five days and after 21 days, their natural defences lose their effectiveness.
Consumers Association of Penang food research officer Hatijah Hashim said cracked or raw eggs or their yolks are primarily sold to bakers and food sellers, with fewer purchased by the public.
“Wholesalers sell defective eggs to bakers and food sellers to clear their stock before the eggs spoil. If the cracked eggs are left in the inventory and spoil, the wholesalers would face considerable losses.”
A 26-year-old baker, who operates a bakery in Ipoh, Perak and asked to be known as Aiman, said while she does not buy cracked eggs or their yolks, she knows of some bakeries that do.
“My recipes mostly require fresh Grade A eggs, so I select and check them for cracks. However, many bakers opt for cracked eggs as they are cheaper and help reduce production costs.”
