Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 06.djvu/785

* EGG. 681 EGG. lated albumen booomos imiili liardor. and ovontii- allv more or less tou^'li and hornlike; it also undergoes shrinkage. When the whole egg is cooked in boiling water the temperature of the interior does not immediately reaeh 212° F., several minutes being probably recpiired. The yolk of egg eoagnlates tirmly at a lower tern- befomes hard and contracts when heated for some lime, at the temperature of boiling wafer, ex- plains the curdling of custards, shrinkage and toughening of omelets, souilles. meringues, sponge cake, and similar mixtures. The linn coagula- tion of albumen at 212° F. explains the use of egg-white for clarifying cotTee. soup, or other smaller than those of the same species when domesticated. Wild ducks' eggs are, on an aver- age, 1.97 to 2.17 inches in diameter; domestic ducks' eggs, 2.3G to 2..5ti inches. The .shells of hens' eggs constitute about 1 1 per cent., the yolk total weight of the egg. Whiteshcllcd eggs have a somewhat heavier shell than brown-shelled eggs. The shell of a duck's egg constitutes about 14 per cent, of the total weiglit, and that of a plover's egg 10 per cent. The following table shows the composition of the eggs of poultry and the plover, and, for comparison, that of evapo- rated hens' eggs, egg substitute, and pudding pow der : Table .Showixo .vehaoe Composition op Esgs axd Egg Products Water Protein Fat Carbo- h.vd rates Ash Fuel value per pound Hen: Per ceut. 73.7 86.2 70.5 87.0 45.8 69.5 88.3 44.1 73.7 86.7 48.3 72.8 86.6 49.7 74.4 6.4 11.4 13.0 Per cent. 13.4 12.3 15.7 13.3 11.1 16.8 13.8 11.6 17.3 13.4 11.5 17.4 13.5 4.6 16.7 10.7 46.9 73.9 2.1 Per cent. 10.5 0.2 33.3 14.5 0.03 36.2 14.4 0.02 36.2 11.2 0.03 32.9 12.0 0.03 31.8 11.7 36.0 0.3 3.4. Per cent. Z ii. 5 i 7.1 5.3 80.9 Per cent. 1.0 0.0 1.1 1.0 0.8 1.2 1.0 0.8 1.3 0.9 0.8 0.9 0.8 1.2 1.0 3.6 9.1 0.6 Calories 720 White 250 ■Yolk 1705 Duck: 860 ■White ..^„: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 210 Yolk 1840 Gi>o8,.> : Whole epg, edible portion 865 AVhite 215 Tolk 1860 Turke.v : 720 AVhite 215 Yolk 1710 Guinea Fowl : 755 ■White 218 Tolk 1655 Plovpr : Whole ejrp:. edible portion. .. 695 2525 1480 1690 liquids. The albumen, which is mixed with the liquid before boiling, coagulates and incloses the floating particles, leaving the liquor clear. When eggs are removed from the shell, a little of the white, unless scraped off, usually clings to the inner surface. Such egg-shells are often used for clarifying purposes, instead of the whole egg. The clarifying properties are, of course, due to the egg-white, and not to the shells. Large quantities of egg-white are used for other purposes than for food, such as for manufacturing photographic papers; the yolks also are utilized in the arts. Char.icteristics axd Composition. The eggs of different kinds of domestic poultry vary in size, as well as appearance, and there is also a eonsideral)le range in the size of eggs of dif- ferent breeds. On an average, a hen's egg is 2.27 inches in length and 1.72 inches in diameter, or width, at the broadest point, and weighs about two ounces, or eight eggs to the pound (IVi pounds per dozen). Generally speaking, the eggs of pul- lets are smaller than those of old hens, those of ducks somewhat larger than hens' eggs, while those of turkeys and geese are considerably iarger. Guinea -eggs, on an average, measure 1% by 11^ inches, are rather pointed at one end, and weigh about 1.4 ounces each, or 17 ounces to the dozen. Goose-eggs weigh about ,5.5 to 6.7 ounces each, or about 5 pounds to the dozen — that is, more than three times as much as hens' eggs. The eggs of wild birds are said to be Eggs consist chiefly of two nutrients — protein and fat — in addition to water and mineral matter or ash. Carbohydrates are present in such small amounts that they are usually neg- lected in the analysis. The results of numerous analyses show that there is practically no dif- ference in composition between hens' eggs with dark shells and those with white shells, although there is a popular belief that the former are 'richer.' In general, it may be said that eggs are nutritious food. They are less concentrated — i.e, contain more water — than cheese, but are more concentrated than milk or oyster.s. In water content they do not dift'er greatly from the average value for lean meat. The kinds and amounts of nutrients in eggs indicate that they may be properly used in the diet in the same way as most other animal foodSj and this belief is conflrmed by experience. Food Value. Kggs which are perfectly fresh have the finest flavor. After eggs have been kept for a time the flavor deteriorates, even if there be no indication of spoiling. Such differ- ences are especially important when eggs are used for table purposes. Stale eggs are regarded as not palatable, and the flavor of spoiled eggs is such that, because of it. if for no otlier reason, they are totally unlit for food. The flavor of even perfectly fresh eggs is not always satisfac- tory, since it is influenced more or less by the character of the food eaten by the laying hens, onions and some other highly flavored feeds im
 * >erature than tlie white. The fact that eggwhite
 * i2 per cent., and the white .57 per cent, of the