Guide · Standards and regulation
What are the requirements for a Category A egg?
A Category A egg is the highest quality class in Brazil. RIISPOA (art. 225) requires five characteristics: shell and cuticle of normal shape, smooth, clean and intact; air cell up to 6 mm high and stationary; yolk visible only as a shadow; clear, consistent white; and a germ spot with imperceptible development. Surface inspection covers the shell; candling, the interior.
Updated · 4 min read
What characteristics does RIISPOA require of a Category A egg?
A Category A egg is defined by art. 225 of RIISPOA (Decree 9.013/2017). It must show five characteristics at the same time. Art. 224 splits eggs for human consumption into two categories, A and B, and Category A has the stricter requirements.
The five items are: shell and cuticle (I), air cell (II), yolk (III), white (IV) and germ spot (V). The table in a later section shows how each one is checked. If any single item fails, the egg is no longer Class A.
How is the shell and cuticle of a Category A egg checked?
The shell and cuticle must be of normal shape, smooth, clean and intact. Surface inspection checks all of this from the outside: shape, texture, cleanliness and visible cracks. A dirty or cracked shell fails item I. The guides on cracked eggs and dirty eggs cover each defect.
Fine cracks, which do not show under normal light, also break the intact-shell requirement, but only candling reveals them. Surface inspection alone therefore does not close this item.
A thin shell does not disqualify an egg by itself. MAPA answers that a thin-shelled egg can be considered Category A if it meets art. 225, which in practice means no crack in the shell (question 31).
Does a crack seen only on candling take an egg out of Category A?
Not necessarily. MAPA says that internal cracks visible only on candling, caused inside the hen's uterus, are called fissured eggs. They may be sold as Category A, even after washing, because the inside of the egg is not exposed (question 3).
The distinction is exposure. The rule covers cracks that do not expose the contents. A crack that breaks the shell and exposes the interior is a different case, covered in body-checked eggs and cracked eggs.
How are items II to V checked: air cell, yolk, white and germ spot?
Items II to V are inside the egg. They can only be judged with a strong light behind the shell, which is candling. Candling is a mandatory step in registered establishments (RIISPOA, art. 223, II).
Take the air cell as an example. It is the air space at the broad end of the egg. For Class A it must be no more than 6 mm high and must not move, so a large or mobile air cell disqualifies the egg. See the entry on the air cell.
| Item of art. 225 | What is required | How it is checked |
|---|---|---|
| I, shell and cuticle | Normal shape, smooth, clean, intact | Surface inspection; fine cracks need candling |
| II, air cell | Up to 6 mm high and stationary | Candling |
| III, yolk | Visible only as a shadow; moves slightly when the egg turns and returns to the center | Candling |
| IV, white | Clear, translucent, consistent, no spots or cloudiness, chalazae intact | Candling |
| V, germ spot | Imperceptible development | Candling |
Because items II to V are internal, candling is not optional for anyone who wants to sell Category A eggs.
What can a camera verify for Category A?
A camera over the conveyor sees the surface: dirt, visible cracks and shape. It cannot see the air cell, yolk, white or germ spot. A camera therefore does not replace candling for Category A.
Vigiovo follows the same split. It classifies each egg as clean, dirty, cracked or unverified, based on the shell, and sends shapes outside the pattern for manual review. It does not measure the air cell or the yolk. Details in how it works.
What happens to an egg that no longer meets Category A?
If the egg is harmless but does not meet Category A, it falls into Category B (RIISPOA, art. 226, I). See Class B.
A company may also downgrade a Category A egg to B for commercial reasons. MAPA says this is the company's decision, and when adopted it must be described in its self-control program (Programa de Autocontrole) and in the production flow registered in PGA-SIGSIF (question 33).
Frequently asked questions
Can a thin-shelled egg be Class A?
- Yes, as long as the shell has no crack. MAPA answers that a thin-shelled egg can be considered Category A if it meets art. 225 of RIISPOA, which in practice means no crack in the shell (question 31).
Can a cracked egg be sold as Category A?
- No. The shell of a Category A egg must be intact (RIISPOA, art. 225, I), so an egg with a visible crack cannot be sold as Category A. If the shell is clean and the shell membranes are intact, the egg goes to industrial processing as soon as possible (RIISPOA, art. 227).
Is a camera enough to check Category A?
- No. A camera checks the outside of the shell, including dirt and visible cracks. The air cell, yolk, white and germ spot only show on candling, which is mandatory in registered establishments (RIISPOA, art. 223).
Sources
- Decreto nº 9.013/2017 (RIISPOA), Presidência da República (Brasil)
- Perguntas e respostas sobre a Portaria MAPA nº 612/2022 (versão de 05/06/2023), Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária (MAPA)
How Vigiovo helps
Vigiovo grades eggs on the conveyor as clean, dirty, cracked or unverified, in real time, with deterministic computer vision: every decision comes with the measurements behind it, on an ordinary CPU.