EGG HANDLING AND STORAGE

The temperature and relative humidity of storage, as well as the gaseo us environment, interact with the fertile egg over time during storage in such a way as to affect the success of incubation either negativel y or positively. This interaction occurs both above and below the ''ph ysiological zero'', at which embryonic metabolism is minimal. This int eraction below physiological zero implies that certain physical aspect s of the egg must be affected by the environmental conditions. As the eggshell is a relatively fixed component, changes in albumen, shell me mbranes, cuticle, yolk, or embryo proper must account for these time- and environment-related effects. It is concluded that the major contri butor is the albumen, as it is obviously the most dynamic component be low physiological zero and is strategically positioned.