Can a cracked egg be sold as Class A?

No. Class A requires an intact shell (RIISPOA, art. 225), and a cracked egg has a broken shell. If the shell is clean and the membrane intact, it goes to industrial processing as quickly as possible (RIISPOA, art. 227).

Can a fissured egg be sold as Class A?

According to MAPA, yes, if the cracks are internal, formed in the uterus, visible only on candling and do not expose the inside of the egg. Question 3 of MAPA's guidance on Ordinance 612 says washing does not change this. It is official guidance, not the wording of the law.

How can you tell a cracked egg from a fissured egg?

Check the shell first. If it is broken and the membrane is intact, the egg is cracked. If the crack appears only with light behind the egg and does not expose the inside, it may be fissured. Only candling confirms that case, and it is mandatory in registered establishments (RIISPOA, art. 223).

Comparison · Defects and grading

What is the difference between a cracked and a fissured egg?

A cracked egg has a broken shell, so it cannot be Class A. A fissured egg has internal cracks, formed inside the hen's uterus, that do not expose the inside and show only on candling; MAPA says it can be sold as Class A. The difference lies in the broken shell and the origin of the crack, not just its size.

Updated October 9, 2026 · 3 min read

What is a cracked egg?

A cracked egg has a broken or cracked shell, but its shell membranes are intact and nothing leaks. Class A requires an intact shell (RIISPOA, art. 225), so a cracked egg cannot be sold as Class A. For what happens to each case, see how to identify cracked eggs.

What is a fissured egg?

A fissured egg has internal cracks, formed inside the hen's uterus, that show only on candling and do not expose the inside. MAPA answers this case directly: such an egg can be sold as Class A, even after washing (MAPA, question 3). Details in body-checked eggs.

This comes from MAPA's questions and answers on Ordinance 612. It is official guidance, not the wording of a law.

What is the practical difference?

The main difference is the shell. In a cracked egg the shell is broken; in a fissured egg the crack is internal and does not expose the inside. The table compares the two.

Cracked or fissured egg: what changes
Feature	Cracked egg	Fissured egg
Where the crack is	In the shell, which is broken	Inside the egg, formed in the hen's uterus
Inside exposed	No, the membranes are intact	No, according to MAPA (question 3)
Can be Class A	No (RIISPOA, art. 225)	Yes, according to MAPA (question 3)
How it is detected	By camera if visible; by candling or acoustic testing if hairline	Only on candling
Destination	Industrial processing if clean with membrane intact (RIISPOA, art. 227); discarded if dirty (MAPA, question 5)	Class A, according to MAPA (question 3)

Who can see each one?

A surface camera sees a visible crack on the shell, but not an internal crack. Hairline cracks on the shell also escape a camera and need candling or acoustic testing (see hairline cracks in eggs).

Vigiovo only detects cracks visible in the image, and it does not replace candling. It can remove visibly cracked eggs before that step. Details in how it works.

How do you decide where a cracked egg goes?

The decision starts with the shell and the membrane, and only then with the origin of the crack. If the shell is broken, the egg leaves Class A. If the membrane is intact and the shell is clean, it goes to industrial processing as quickly as possible (RIISPOA, art. 227). If the shell is dirty and cracked, MAPA says it must be discarded immediately (MAPA, question 5).

For a fissured egg, the decision depends on the crack being internal, visible only on candling and not exposing the inside. When those three points are confirmed, MAPA treats the egg as Class A (MAPA, question 3). Without candling, the decision cannot be closed.

Check whether the shell is broken or only has an internal crack.
Confirm on candling that the crack does not expose the inside of the egg.
Separate dirty cracked eggs, which go to immediate disposal.

Frequently asked questions

Can a cracked egg be sold as Class A?: No. Class A requires an intact shell (RIISPOA, art. 225), and a cracked egg has a broken shell. If the shell is clean and the membrane intact, it goes to industrial processing as quickly as possible (RIISPOA, art. 227).
Can a fissured egg be sold as Class A?: According to MAPA, yes, if the cracks are internal, formed in the uterus, visible only on candling and do not expose the inside of the egg. Question 3 of MAPA's guidance on Ordinance 612 says washing does not change this. It is official guidance, not the wording of the law.
How can you tell a cracked egg from a fissured egg?: Check the shell first. If it is broken and the membrane is intact, the egg is cracked. If the crack appears only with light behind the egg and does not expose the inside, it may be fissured. Only candling confirms that case, and it is mandatory in registered establishments (RIISPOA, art. 223).

Sources

Perguntas e respostas sobre a Portaria MAPA nº 612/2022 (versão de 05/06/2023), Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária (MAPA)
Decreto nº 9.013/2017 (RIISPOA), Presidência da República (Brasil)

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.

See how it works