Pasteurized eggs

"[1] All egg products sold in the U.S that are pasteurized due to the risk of foodborne illnesses are done per U.S. Department of Agriculture rules.

They also do not recommend eating shell eggs that are raw or undercooked due to the possibility that Salmonella bacteria may be present.

[3] Nearly four out of five Salmonella-related foodborne illness cases share a common vehicle: raw or undercooked shell eggs.

[3] Salmonellosis, the illness that a Salmonella infection causes, is characterized by nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, fever, and headache.

[2] While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate there are one million cases of salmonellosis per year in the US leading to 19,000 hospitalizations and 380 deaths,[5] the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that only 79,000 cases each year are the result of consuming eggs contaminated with Salmonella, of which only 30 result in death.

Duffy Cox of Lynden, Washington, began developing methods to pasteurize shell eggs.

Davidson recognized the market need and opportunity for a safer egg option for consumers and food operations around the country.

[13] Pasteurizing eggs in their shells is achieved through a technique that uses precise time and temperature zones within water baths.

[14][15] Pasteurizing eggs in their shells can also be achieved through a process that involves treatment with ozone and reactive oxygen species under high and low pressures, followed by replacement with an inert gas, such as nitrogen.

[16] According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture,[2] Shell eggs can be pasteurized by a processor if FDA accepted the process for the destruction of Salmonella.

Opinion on the quality of pasteurized shell eggs is mixed, and sometimes depends on whether comparisons involve experimental processes or products that are actually on the market.