I’ve been curious after seeing non-refrigerated eggs in Japan
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when eggs are layed, there’s a natural coating on the outside that keeps them sterile.
In the US, and becoming more common in other places, they will wash off the outside to the degree that the coating is removed, making them likely to grow bacteria and go bad.
Without a cuticle, eggs need to be kept cold—not for the product itself, but to discourage bacterial growth in and on it. Conversely, eggs with their protective layers intact are much less likely to be infected by salmonella—at least on the inside—and because of this they don’t need to be refrigerated.
THIS!
Basically unwashed eggs can be stored at moderate room temperature for up to two weeks without going bad!
The risk with eggs comes from salmonella, a parasite which can infect multiple different animals including chicken and humans. The outermost layer of an egg is a thin layer which protect the egg from parasites like salmonella. But this thin layer gets removed if you wash the egg. This allows salmonella to pass through the shell of the egg and infect the egg. If the egg is refrigerated then the salmonella will hibernate and the egg is still safe to eat. But if the egg is kept at room temperatures then the salmonella will multiply making the egg unsafe.
There is therefore two different ways of distributing eggs. You can either wash the eggs so they look pretty but then you have to keep them refrigerated all the way to the consumer. Or you can vaccinate the chicken against salmonella, frequently inspect the chicken and eggs for salmonella contamination, and keep the eggs unwashed. This means you do not need refrigeration making the transport and storage of eggs much cheaper. Of course refrigeration is still recommended but it is not required.
Eggs in North America are more strongly washed before going to the store. This removes the natural outer protective layer that usually keeps them sealed and sterile. In Japan (and most of Europe too!) they leave this outer layer on the eggs and so they’re safe to store at room temperature because they’re sealed.
In the US eggs get washed before sale. This removes the natural protective layer and these eggs now need to be kept refrigerated to stay safe.
In most other countries eggs are not washed and as such can be kept for an extended period of time without refrigeration. The negative is that your eggs are not clean and you have to wash them yourself before use.
2 Schools of egg processing-
One says the outside of the egg can get dirty with chicken poop and other things, and thus can be a health concern. Thus they are washed. That removes the poop and dirt, but also the protective coating they have. These now need refrigeration
The other does not wash the eggs, keeps the coating, and allows them to not require refrigeration.
Different countries have different rules/laws on how they have to be processed.
This same question was being discussed on this sub yesterday, in great detail. Go check it out.
Eggshells are porous, meaning they have a lot of little holes in them. To seal those little holes a chicken’s body creates a coating we call bloom. In the US eggs are washed to make them look cleaner and more appealing. This washing also removes the bloom with means all those little pores in the egg shell are now open and bacteria can get inside them. So washed eggs need to be refrigerated to keep any bacteria that gets inside from growing too quickly as the coldness of the fridge inhibits bacteria growth. If, however, the bloom is left on eggs then refrigeration is unnecessary because bacteria can’t get inside the egg to grow.
I always thought it was up to the person cuz in the UK they’re sold non refrigerated but some people choose to refrigerate them. Apparently it changes the taste
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