Enhancing the albumen viscosity and permeability of whole egg: an approach utilizing multimodal ultrasonic technology.

Background: Improving the permeability of eggshell (ES) and eggshell membrane (ESM), while decreasing the albumen viscosity are conducive to accelerate the penetration rates of sodium chloride (NaCl) during the processing of salted duck eggs. This study systematically evaluated the effect of mono- and multi-frequency ultrasound (US) on ES/ESM permeability and internal quality of whole egg in aqueous- and salt-phase systems.

Results: Key findings demonstrated that 40 kHz and a combination of 20/40/60 kHz US significantly reduced the albumen viscosity in salt-phase system and enlarged the pore size of ES and ESM (P < 0.05), without compromising ES strength, thickness, or yolk index. Conformation results showed that US treatment at 40 and 20/40/60 kHz in the salt-phase system only caused the unfolding of molecular structure of egg white protein (EWP), but had no significant effect on molecular weight of EWP.

Conclusion: US can play a role in enlarging pores and reducing viscosity while ensuring the integrity of whole eggs. This study provides a theoretical basis for the rapid curing of salted duck eggs. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.