Risk of Salmonellosis due to the consumption of liquid egg stored at 65°F compared with Eggs Stored at 45°F

A study conducted by USDA and published in J Food Prot ((2020) 83 (5): 767–778) compared Salmonella Enteritidis levels in eggs held at 65°F versus 45°F for shell eggs and egg products.  The levels of Salmonella Enteritidis in the egg products and the risk of human salmonellosis from consumption of those egg products were assessed. For eggs stored five days at 65°F (following 36 h at 75°F [23.9°C] in the layer house), the mean level of Salmonella Enteritidis contamination is 30-fold higher than for eggs stored at 45°F. These increased levels of contamination lead to a 47-fold increase in the risk of salmonellosis from the consumption of egg products made from these eggs. Assuming that 7% of the liquid egg product supply originates from eggs stored at 65°F versus 45°F, this study estimates an additional burden of 3,562 cases of salmonellosis per year in the United States. The diversion of eggs from broiler production to human consumption under the current storage practices of 65°F (versus 45°F) would present a substantive overall increase in the risk of salmonellosis. The data indicates that an early cooling and low-temperature storage of shell eggs are highly effective in reducing the level of Salmonella Enteritidis in shell eggs.  @ https://meridian.allenpress.com/jfp/article/83/5/767/430558/Assessment-of-the-Risk-of-Salmonellosis-Linked-to