Impact-measurement sensors inside an egg-shaped shell that collect real-time data could help companies reduce product loss by identifying areas where potential breakage risks or micro-fractures could occur.
The technology, called CracklessEgg, is shaped like a shell egg and is designed to be placed at the beginning of a producer’s process flow in the egg packing plant.
While moving through the process, the technology captures data and records when an “event” occurs that could cause egg breakage or cracks, such as a bump or a shake during a transfer point on a conveyor belt or in an equipment calibration area.
Courtesy CracklessEgg
The unit is heat-and water-resistant, as well as weight-balanced to mimic a real shell egg. The technology is rechargeable and can collect data for up to eight hours.
“The egg identifies the soft spots in processing,” stated CracklessEgg Chief Operating Officer Larry Doherty. “The intent is to have it act and behave like a real egg.”
The data is automatically transferred to a mobile app, where producers can access more information on their egg handling process through a color-based visual graph that features red, yellow and green indicators, which represent impact levels.
Producers can also use the data to analyze impact trends over time and create equipment maintenance schedules. Doherty added that producers can tailor the impact thresholds in the mobile app that determine the severity of an event to their own operation.
Shell egg breakage and food safety
Outside of egg breakage leading to product loss, shell fractures invisible to the human eye that occur during processing could cause food safety issues in the plant.
Shell eggs are washed and sanitized during processing to remove debris and bacteria, such as Salmonella. However, if bacteria exists inside an uncracked egg, and that egg is cracked during processing, the bacteria could spread, causing a food safety risk.