Background: This study discussed the effect of probiotic supplementation on laying hens' diets and the enhancement of egg quality during the cold storage period.
Aim: To study the efficacy of the addition of probiotics to hen diets in terms of improving the egg's quality during the cold storage period and protection against enteric pathogens.
Methods: 100 table eggs were collected from farms of laying hens on a battery system, 46 weeks old HylineW36 white in Sharkia Government. The collected eggs were separated into 2 groups (50 each); the control group from hens fed on diets without probiotics, and the probiotic group from hens fed on diets with (100 g/ton) of supplemented probiotics preparation. All groups were separated into 5 sub-groups for the examinations; on the fresh day, 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th days on cold storage at 4°C. Chemical, physical, and microbiological examinations were done for internal egg contents and eggshells.
Results: Our results showed that probiotics supplements have advantageous effects on the quality of eggs during cold storage periods. Also, microbiological examination proved that eggshells from hens fed on diets with probiotics supplemented (100 g/ton) have decreased the level of bacterial contamination with Salmonella and Escherichia coli than hens fed on a regular diet.
Conclusion: It could be shown that the probiotics supplementation may decrease and reduce the effect of the storage period on the quality of shell, albumen, and yolk.
Keywords: Enteric pathogens; Laying hens’ diet; Probiotic supplementation; Storage; Table eggs quality.