Is there salmonella in quail eggs? Myths about quail eggs

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Is there salmonella in quail eggs? This product is no longer a curiosity that many bypassed in stores. It is bought on a level with chicken eggs and is used in the preparation of many dishes. In addition, the debate about which type of eggs - quail or chicken - is more useful does not stop.

Due to the rooting of this product on the shelves of the Russian markets, the question is whether it is possible to get infected with salmonellosis from quail eggs. Is this a myth or true? Learn from the article.

Do quail eggs contain salmonella?

For a long time there was a belief that the answer to the question was no. This was due to the fact that the body temperature of birds reaches 44 ° C, and such an environment is detrimental to bacteria. There is a belief that birds, in principle, are not susceptible to such bacteria.

Howeverthe assumptions presented have failed miserably under the weight of scientific research. And the answer to the question of whether there is salmonella in quail eggs is yes. Alas…

Why can bacteria be in quail eggs? Most often this happens due to the fact that the birds were fed poor quality food, which contained the microorganism. Another reason is non-compliance with the rules for keeping birds (unsuitable environmental conditions), due to which the immunity of quails weakens, and this causes the development of salmonellosis.

Salmonellosis - what kind of "beast"?

Salmonella is a rod-shaped non-spore-bearing bacterium. It provokes an acute infectious disease salmonellosis, which can infect both animals and humans. Affects the organs of the digestive system.

Salmonella bacteria enters the body through foods such as eggs, milk and dairy products, meat, which have not been cooked. It is high temperature that is detrimental to bacteria.

The viability of anaerobes in water lasts up to 5 months, but in soil up to a year and a half. Raw meat "stores" a rod-shaped bacterium in itself for up to six months. As for milk, here the life span of salmonella is as follows:

• about 20 days in milk;
• 30 days in kefir;
• 4-5 days in butter;
• In cheese, the bacterium lives up to a year.

In the egg product, viability also has its own life:

• 3-9 months in egg powder;
• 17-24 days toshell.

Salmonella die at a temperature of 70 ° C, that is, approximately 7 minutes of cooking. However, if a large piece of meat is cooked, then in its thickness the bacteria can withstand 10-20 minutes of boiling.

How long does it take to boil quail eggs to kill bacteria? 4-5 minutes will be enough to kill salmonella. The same time is enough for chicken eggs.

In milk and meat products, salmonella not only persist for a long time, but also multiply intensively. At the same time, microorganisms tolerate the process of food s alting and smoking well, but when frozen, they even prolong their viability.

Consequences for humans

Egg lovers, in particular quail eggs, may indulge in their favorite product for fear of contracting an unpleasant disease. The thing is that the salmonella microorganism lives only on the eggshell, but after a day or five it can penetrate inside. This requires certain microclimate conditions.

Therefore, it is necessary to take precautions before using the product, namely, wash the shell thoroughly with soap or detergent before breaking the egg.

There are several types of diseases caused by salmonella, and the one that occurs in birds is called pullorosis. But, here's what's interesting, the bacterium Salmonella gallinarum in quails causes pullorosis, and in humans it causes only a mild form of food poisoning. But the species Salmonella enteritidis is not dangerous for birds, but deadly for humans. Even leads to death.

Salmonellosis is manifested in humans by the following symptoms: fever, diarrhea, weakness and muscle pain. Therefore, contacting a doctor with the following symptoms should be immediate.

The myth of quail eggs

For a long time, the supply companies of the studied product claimed that their product is absolutely safe even in its raw form. Even Japanese scientists conducted an experiment in which people drank a raw product and their condition improved: digestion normalized, headaches disappeared, and fatigue disappeared. And no salmonellosis attacked them.

However, all this could be taken for reality, if not for one "but". In addition to drinking raw eggs, the subjects ate vegetables, cereals, and refused harmful fried and smoked foods. Which already, in itself, normalizes the state of he alth.

Why is there no salmonella in quail eggs, namely those that were eaten by the subjects? Probably the quality of the product was of a high level, excluding the development of bacteria on the surface.

Reasons for the myth

Is there salmonella in quail eggs - a question that has a positive answer. And the appearance of the myth about the complete absence of a microorganism in the product is caused by nothing more than the fact that the basal temperature of birds is higher than that of the same chickens or geese. This means that the bacterium does not take root in the bird's body and dies.

Yes, indeed, the quail feathered families themselves do not suffer from salmonellosis, but the microorganism may be presentin their body in a state of suspended animation, without affecting the condition of the quails.

In fact, only high temperatures (70 degrees) can destroy the microorganism, but within a few minutes. So you need to know how long to cook quail eggs. This is important!

After all, it can be said that quails and their eggs are carriers of salmonella.

What do the labels on quail egg packages say?

The myth that quails do not get sick with salmonellosis and their eggs can be drunk raw has been printed on product packages for some time. And there are no claims to this inscription, from a legal point of view. Indeed, birds do not get sick with salmonellosis, they are only its carrier. And this fact was not announced anywhere.

Although a considerable number of consumers agreed that quail eggs are not harmful, there are not so many known cases of infection. But this is due to the fact that chicken eggs are used for food more often than quail eggs, which means that the risk of infection from chicken is many times higher.

Raw quail eggs: consequences

In conclusion, it can be said that eating raw eggs, as well as eggs with unwashed shells, can easily provoke the following symptoms in a person:

• increase in basal body temperature;
• dysfunction of the digestive system, manifested by nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea;
• allergic skin rashes, more common in children;
• acute abdominal paincavity.

Signs of infection appear 2-3 hours after the onset of infection, although the incubation period lasts in the human body for 3 days.

Preventive measures

It is important to follow these guidelines:

1. Before using quail eggs, wash their shells with soap and a brush.
2. Cook for at least 10 minutes, so don't use bagged eggs.
3. Omelette lovers need to fry the dish on both sides, subjecting it to full heat treatment.
4. From such a dish as fried eggs, you should completely refuse, especially for lovers of liquid yolk.
5. Before buying, check the expiration date of the eggs, and carry out additional verification activities at home.
6. Wash your hands regularly, especially after handling eggs in their shells.
7. At the first symptoms that may indicate salmonellosis, see a doctor.

How do I test a product for bacteria?

You should not refuse the product, because its benefits are great for the body. In addition, you can check the quail eggs. However, this can only be done in laboratory conditions, and the information obtained will be 100% correct.

But when buying a product in a store or on the market, you should ask about its expiration date, since the risk of contracting an infection from fresh eggs is minimal, almost equal to 0. The shelf life of quail eggs at temperatures from 0 to 25 ° is 25 days (according toGOST).

The freshness of eggs can be checked at home. The method is quite well-known: dip the eggs in a container of cold water. Fresh ones will remain lying at the bottom, not the first freshness will float vertically - with a rotten end up, but completely spoiled ones will float at all.

Another way to determine the freshness of quail (and any) eggs is to break them into a bowl and look at the appearance of the yolk. If it is smeared, not homogeneous, then the egg is not the first freshness.

Conclusion

Whether there is salmonella in quail eggs has long been a settled issue. Like similar products from chickens or geese, these carry the same risk of infection. But precautions will help not get sick with salmonellosis. And the use of the product in its raw form should be completely abandoned.