Abstract:
Fresh eggs were employed as the research objects and treated with electron beam irradiation at doses of 1, 2, and 3 kGy to explore the effects of this technology on the degradation of the two antibiotics and egg quality, and address the excessive residues of enrofloxacin and furacilin in eggs. The results show that electron beam irradiation exhibits a significant dose-dependent effect on the degradation of the two antibiotics. Under 1 kGy irradiation, the degradation rates of both antibiotics exceed 80%, with a better degradation effect on enrofloxacin than on furacilin. As the irradiation dose increases, the sensory quality of eggs shows dose-dependent deterioration. The scores of odor, texture, taste, and overall acceptability all decrease, and the 1 kGy group maintains the best quality. Volatile substance analysis indicates that compared with the control group, the relative contents of aldehydes and ketones increase by 4.76% and 2.28%, respectively, while the relative contents of alcohols and esters decrease by 3.35% and 9.80%, respectively. In terms of textural properties, hardness, gumminess, and chewiness of the eggs increase significantly with the rising dose, while elasticity and cohesiveness increase slightly, with no significant change observed in resilience. Functional property tests indicate that the emulsifying activity and foaming capacity of egg liquid can be improved by irradiation, but foam stability is reduced. The degree of protein oxidation increases with the irradiation dose, with the carbonyl content increasing by 32% and total sulfhydryl content decreasing by 23.5%. The
b* value of egg yolk shows a significant negative correlation with the irradiation dose. In conclusion, electron beam irradiation at 1 kGy can achieve efficient antibiotic degradation while maximizing the retention of egg quality. The research results can provide a theoretical basis for the control of antibiotic residues in poultry eggs and the optimization of irradiation processes.