In Russia, it is customary to label chicken eggs with a combination of the letter "D" or "C" and a sign indicating the product category. What do these marks on the shell mean and what does the product category depend on?
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What is the difference between diet and table eggs
The first character in the egg marking - the letter "D" or "C" means it is referred either to diet ("D") products, or to canteens ("C").
Eggs are considered dietary within a week after the chicken laid them down - accordingly, the period for their sale cannot exceed seven days. They are marked with a red stamp and the date of sorting is obligatory applied (it is from this time that the "age" of the product begins).
Eggs marked "D" are recommended for baby and diet food, and they are especially tasty (it is believed that it is best to eat eggs 3-4 days after laying). However, in stores such products can be found infrequently, especially in those regions where poultry farming is not very developed: after all, while dietary eggs reach the consumer, they can already go into the category of “canteens”.
Table eggs are marked with a blue stamp with the letter “C”, and their implementation period is 25 days from the time of demolition, and an indication of the date of sorting on the shell is no longer mandatory (provided that this information is contained on the product packaging).
What are the categories of chicken eggs
By size, chicken eggs are divided into 5 categories, and marked with numbers from 1 to 3, or the letters "O" or "B".
Marking "3" - eggs of the third category, the smallest. Their "calculated" average weight is 40 grams, the weight of an individual egg can range from 35 to 44.9 grams. Small eggs are usually laid by young chickens, they are very tasty, but they appear infrequently on store shelves - buyers do not like such a “trifle”.
Marking "2" is the second category, eggs weighing from 45 to 55.9 grams. The average weight of the second category egg is 50 grams. And if you subtract the weight of the shell (which accounts for about 12% of the egg mass) - such an egg will weigh from 40 to 50 grams. It is these eggs that are considered to be "average" in recipes (the estimated weight of the "contents" of an egg in domestic cooking is taken as 40 grams).
Marking "1" - eggs of the first category, the weight of which can be from 55 to 64.9 grams, and the average weight in accordance with the standards of 60 grams. Eggs of this weight category are often found on store shelves and are considered the most balanced in composition. They are most often called “average” by modern housewives, sharing culinary recipes with each other.
Marking "O" means "perfect. " The average weight of eggs of the selected category is 70 grams (from 65 to 74.9). Such eggs already give the impression of being large and are in demand among buyers - especially taking into account the fact that, in terms of the weight of the “contents”, it usually turns out to be slightly more profitable to buy them than eggs of the first category.
Marking "B" is placed on the eggs of the highest category - their weight can not be lower than 75 grams (the upper limit is not limited, the average value is 80 grams). Such eggs are the most expensive, but it must be borne in mind that, without taking into account the shell, one egg labeled “B” is almost equal in weight to its two “brothers” from the second or third category.
The division of eggs into categories is carried out only by weight, and no other factors affect it. Both dietary and table eggs can belong to any of the dimensional categories; the eggshell can be either white or brown. Eggs enriched with iodine, selenium or other trace elements, also do not have to belong to the selected or the highest category: they can be of any size.
Thus, the marking “C2” means that we have a table egg of the second category, “DO” - a selective dietary egg, “CB” - a table egg of the highest category and so on.
What other information could be on the eggshell?
The stamp used to mark the eggs may contain information not only on the degree of freshness and product category, but also additional information. Most often it is:
- sort date and expiration date,
- name of the poultry farm,
- trademark of the manufacturer.