Abstract
Fresh eggs, procured from White Leghorn chickens, were analyzed to obtain data on the chemical changes occurring before incubation. Then eggs from the same source were incubated, and the non-fertile ones analyzed at various periods of time, up to 20 days, for carbohydrate, and non-protein nitrogen constituents, using a protein free filtrate prepared by the Folin-Wu method. Table I presents a summary of the data obtained.
The following conclusions may be drawn:
All (99.2%) of the free sugar of the albumin is fermentable in contrast to the yolk, which contains a small amount of non-fermentable sugar (from 7 to 12%).
The hydrolyzable sugar content of the albumin is greater than that of the yolk. Only a relatively small proportion (40 to 50%) of this is fermentable by yeast.
The free amino acid and non-protein nitrogen content of the yolk is very high, as compared with that of the albumin.
Incubated, sterile, non-fertile eggs do not undergo any appreciable changes in their free sugar, hydrolyzable sugar or non-protein nitrogen constituents, over an incubation period of 20 days.
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