Researchers at Australia’s Flinders University have uncovered a new way to remove Salmonella contamination from the surface of eggs.

Eggshells are commonly contaminated with the bacterium Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Flinders researchers came up with a decontamination method that ultimately removed the Salmonella contamination from the eggshell without damaging the egg’s quality or usability.

The decontamination method involved the use of commercial kitchen equipment, specifically a sous vide cooker. Set at a temperature of 57 °C, complete decontamination of Salmonella was achieved by treating the eggs for precisely 9 minutes. 

Flinders University’s results, in a paper entitled 'A Successful Technique for the Surface Decontamination of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Externally Contaminated Whole Shell Eggs Using Common Commercial Kitchen Equipment', were published in the scholarly journal Foodborne Pathogens and Disease.

Sign up for Food Safety Magazine’s bi-weekly emails!

Subscribe to our podcast: Food Safety Matters!