Effect of various salt brands and concentrations on the salting process of duck eggs / Nabil Zharif Bin Rahim

Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering Technology

Final Year Report (Diploma of Chemical Engineering) -- Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah - 2025

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A salted egg is made by soaking duck or chicken eggs in a saline solution or covering them with a salt mixture, allowing them to ferment for weeks or months. One issue with salted eggs sold in the market is the inconsistency in shelf life and salt type, leading to variations in taste. Additionally, choosing the right salt is important to prevent the brine from becoming cloudy, as some customers avoid buying eggs from jars with murky solutions. This experiment aims to investigate how different types of salt and varying salt concentrations (10%, 20%, and 30%) affect the quality of salted eggs. We used 63 fresh duck eggs, with each concentration applied to 7 eggs. Three types of salt were tested: Salt Type 1 (Pasar SBP Jaya Gading), Salt Type 2 (Gambang Mini Market), and Salt Type 3 (Pasaraya Nirwana). The salts were dissolved in Reverse Osmosis (RO) water, and the eggs were soaked in these solutions for different periods (8 to 20 days). To analyse the eggs, we measured the pH, moisture content, and salt concentration of the egg white and yolk, and determined the egg yolk index by measuring its diameter and height. The results showed that as salt concentration increased, the pH of both the salt solution and eggs decreased, making the solution more acidic, which helped preserve the eggs but affected their texture. Conductivity increased with higher salt concentrations, indicating more ions in the solution. The egg white shrank due to water loss, while the yolk size remained stable. The turbidity of the solution increased with higher salt concentrations but decreased over time as the eggs absorbed some salt. In conclusion, higher salt concentrations lower pH, increase conductivity, and cause the egg white to shrink more than the yolk. The solution also becomes cloudier with higher salt levels, showing more dissolved particles. This experiment demonstrates how salt concentration impacts the preservation, texture, and overall quality of salted eggs.