Egg Testing (Cooked, Boiled, Fried) for Hotels and Restaurants
The table below describes a microbiological testing program for cooked egg products served by hotels, restaurants, catering businesses, and other food-service establishments. It can cover boiled eggs, fried eggs, scrambled eggs, omelets, poached eggs, egg sandwiches, and other cooked egg dishes.
The main objectives are to assess overall microbiological quality, cooking effectiveness, hygiene, post-cooking contamination, and important foodborne pathogens. It has to be noted that the limits mentioned may have variations case to case.
| Food/Test Category | Microbial Parameters | Analysis Method | Limits |
| Eggs Testing (Cooked, boil, fried, etc.) | Standard Plate Count | AOAC 990.12/ ISO 4833-1:2013 | ≤10⁵ CFU/g |
| Salmonella | AOAC 2003.09/ ISO 6579-1:2017 | Absent in 25 g | |
| E. Coli | AOAC 991.14/ ISO 16649-2:2001 | <10 CFU/g | |
| Listeria spp. | AOAC 2004.06/ ISO 11290-1:2017 | Absent in 25 g | |
| Coagulative Staphylococcus | AOAC 975.55/ ISO 6888-1:2021 | <10² CFU/g | |
| Staph. aureus | AOAC 975.55/ ISO 6888-1:2021 | <10² CFU/g | |
| E. coli O 157:H | AOAC 2000.14/ ISO 16654:2001 | Absent in 25 g | |
| Coliform | AOAC 991.14/ ISO 4832:2006 | <10² CFU/g | |
| Listeria monocytogenes | AOAC 2004.06/ ISO 11290-1:2017 | Absent in 25 g | |
| Yeast/mold | AOAC 997.02/ ISO 21527-1:2008 | ≤10² CFU/g |
Explanation of the tests
| Microbial Parameter | Purpose | Method | Proposed Criterion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Aerobic Microbial Count | General microbial quality | ISO 4833-1:2013 | ≤10⁵ CFU/g |
| Salmonella spp. | Major egg-associated foodborne pathogen | ISO 6579-1:2017 | Not detected in specified test portion |
| E. coli | Hygiene/fecal contamination indicator | ISO 16649-2:2001 | <10 CFU/g |
| Listeria monocytogenes | Foodborne pathogen | ISO 11290-1:2017 | Not detected in specified test portion, where applicable |
| Coagulase-positive Staphylococci | Food-handler/hygiene indicator | ISO 6888-1:2021 | <10² CFU/g |
| E. coli O157 | Specific pathogenic E. coli | Specific validated method | Not detected in specified test portion, where applicable |
| Coliforms | Hygiene indicator | ISO 4832:2006 | <10² CFU/g |
| Yeasts & Molds | Spoilage/quality indicator | Appropriate validated method | Product-specific |