Pasteurizing Eggs Kills Bacteria

Pasteurized eggs may be an idea whose time has come, researchers at Purdue University believe.

Food engineers there have developed a new slow-cook, low-temperature process to heat raw eggs in their shells just enough so as to kill bacteria that might be lurking within but not to change the consistency of the egg itself.

The goal is to enable consumers to use eggs safely in making hollandaise sauce, mayonnaise and so on at home.

Because raw eggs can contain microbes that cause illness, experts have warned people not to consume any eggs that haven’t been thoroughly cooked.

While it wouldn’t be necessary to pasteurize most eggs, doing so for eggs destined for uses that don’t require thorough cooking could provide an extra margin of health safety, said Peter Muriana, a Purdue food microbiologist.