Liquid egg products are widely utilized by the food service
industry and commercial food manufacturers because of their convenience
and ease in handling and storing as compared to shell eggs.
Liquid egg is very sensitive microbiologically, and is therefore heat
pasteurized to obtain a microbiologically safe product. Currently,
the minimum temperature and time requirements for pasteurization
of liquid whole egg (LWE) are 60 ◦C and 3.5 min in the USA
and 64.4 ◦C and 2.5 min in the UK [1,2]. In most European countries,
however, no mandatory process criteria are stipulated for liquid egg
processing. Instead, in Europe, egg products have to comply with
the European legislation on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs
(EU Regulation 2073/2005). This regulation, applicable from January
1, 2006 on, lays down food safety criteria for certain important
foodborne bacteria, their toxins and metabolites in specific foodstuffs.
These criteria are applicable to products placed on the market
during their entire shelf life. In addition, the regulation sets down
certain process hygiene criteria to indicate the correct functioning
of the production process [3]. In this respect, egg products should be