Coating Quail Eggs with a Bioactive Solution of Corn Starch and Green Propolis Extract

Quail eggs are foods that can suffer significant losses in internal quality 14 days after laying and onwards. With the aim of minimizing early quality losses, this study investigated the effect of the combined use of corn starch and green propolis extract (CS+GPE) on the internal quality attributes of quail eggs, as well as on the bacterial level of their eggshells during storage at room temperature. The Haugh unit remained above 80.00 in eggs coated with CS+GPE at 21 days of storage, which was significantly greater than that of the eggs from the control treatment. On that same day, the bacterial load in the eggshell of the eggs coated with CS+GPE was 34.74% lower than that in eggs from the control treatment. The synergistic use of CS+GPE represents a strategy for preserving quail eggs using bioactive, green, and biodegradable materials.