Guide · Running the line
How do you send clean cracked eggs to breaking?
Clean cracked eggs, with intact shell membranes, must go to industrial processing as quickly as possible (RIISPOA, art. 227). They must never be washed. When pre-selection removes them with a clean shell, they can go to breaking without candling, provided any unfit egg found during breaking is removed (MAPA, questions 25 and 28).
Updated · 4 min read
Where does a clean cracked egg go?
It goes to industrial processing, as quickly as possible. RIISPOA requires clean cracked or broken eggs whose shell membrane is intact to be sent to processing as soon as possible (art. 227). Both conditions matter: the shell must be clean and the membrane intact.
If the membrane is also broken, the contents are exposed and the egg is no longer a cracked egg. It becomes a leaker, which RIISPOA lists among eggs unfit for human consumption (art. 500, VII). The sorting step must make that difference clear.
| Situation | Destination | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Clean shell, membrane intact | Industrial processing, as quickly as possible | RIISPOA, art. 227 |
| Dirty shell, cracked | Immediate disposal, or breaking into a labelled container | MAPA FAQ, questions 5 and 26 |
| Membrane broken, contents exposed | Unfit for human consumption | RIISPOA, art. 500, VII |
Why can't a cracked egg be washed?
A cracked egg cannot be washed, even when its shell looks clean. MAPA's answer to question 28 says washing is mandatory only for dirty, intact eggs and for eggs destined to processing. Cracked eggs are the exception: they must not be washed, and if their shell is clean they can be broken (question 28).
This changes the order of the steps. Passing a cracked egg through the washer breaks that rule, so the separation has to happen before washing. For the washing rules for other eggs, see egg washing rules in Brazil.
How do you separate clean cracked eggs at pre-selection?
At pre-selection, cracked eggs are separated before washing and grading. The step is mandatory when the line is continuous and washing comes before candling, or when washing runs alongside grading and the eggs coming back from the washer mix with the eggs entering the line (MAPA FAQ, question 24). Its purpose is to let clean cracked eggs, whose membranes are intact, be used for breaking (question 24).
- Separate clean cracked eggs from dirty cracked eggs, which are discarded at the same point (question 24).
- Send clean cracked eggs to their own flow, identified for breaking.
- Record that flow in the self-control programme (Programa de Autocontrole) and in PGA-SIGSIF (question 27).
A camera such as Vigiovo helps with this separation: it grades each egg as clean, dirty, cracked or unverified, and records the class of each one. It sees visible cracks but not hairline cracks. So it does not replace pre-selection where that step is mandatory.
Is candling required before breaking?
Not always. Clean cracked eggs removed at pre-selection can go to breaking without candling. MAPA bases this on art. 45 of RIISPOA, which allows candling to be optional given the technological particularities of each establishment (question 25).
Optional candling is not a free pass. Since these eggs will be broken, MAPA says any egg unfit for consumption must be removed during breaking, and that this is not a process failure for not having candled it (question 25). So the breaking step needs a point where an unfit egg is spotted and taken out.
Internal cracks are a different case. A fissured egg, with an internal crack formed in the hen's uterus that shows only on candling, can be sold as Class A (question 3). Candling is what tells a cracked egg from a fissured one.
Which mistakes most often break this flow?
Most of the errors mix up the cases. They appear when the flow is not separated, or when a camera or a single step is trusted to do the work of another.
- Washing cracked eggs to make them look cleaner, which is not allowed (question 28).
- Mixing clean cracked eggs with dirty ones in the same flow (question 27).
- Sending unfit eggs to breaking without removing them (question 25).
- Treating a camera as a replacement for candling (RIISPOA, art. 223).
Frequently asked questions
Can a cracked egg with a clean shell be sold as Class A?
- No. A cracked egg cannot be sold as Class A, because Class A requires an intact shell (RIISPOA, art. 225). With a clean shell and an intact membrane, it goes to industrial processing as quickly as possible (RIISPOA, art. 227).
Can a clean cracked egg be washed before breaking?
- No. A cracked egg must not be washed, even if its shell is clean. If the shell is clean, the egg can go to breaking without washing (MAPA FAQ, question 28). Dirty cracked eggs follow a different rule, with immediate disposal or breaking into a labelled container (question 26).
Does a clean cracked egg always need candling?
- Not always. Clean cracked eggs removed at pre-selection can go to breaking without candling, based on art. 45 of RIISPOA (MAPA FAQ, question 25). Any egg found unfit during breaking must be removed, and this does not count as a process failure.
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.