Citric acid for hard-boiled eggs?
I recently ordered some dish from a local food delivery company. The dish, among other ingredients, contained hard-boiled eggs. The ingredient list read the following:
[...] Hard-boiled eggs (egg, citric acid), [...]
Due to that formatting, the citric acid was definitely used for the eggs, not for the dish as a whole. I am wondering what the purpose of using citric acid for cooking hard boiled eggs could be. I am not sure how/in what quantity/when it is added to the eggs. I could think of a few possible reasons to using it, however, I am not sure if any of these is real. My ideas are:
- Perhaps, given that it is acid, it helps removing the bacteria and/or feces remnants from the shell, or
- Given the lime content of egg shells and the fact that lime is pretty reactive to some acids, it might help with peeling. It sounds reasonable as we are talking about a food delivery company, probably cooking eggs up in the quantities of the hundreds to thousands.
These are just my two cents, does anyone know the (possibly) real reason behind it?
Best Answer
US patent EP0020011 A2 describes a process of packaging shelled hard boiled eggs where the egg is dipped in a citric acid solution to prevent discoloration of the yolk at the white-yolk interface. I would guess that’s what is going on in this case.
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Quick Answer about "Citric acid for hard-boiled eggs?"
75% citric acid was adequate to reduce hard-cooked egg bacterial growth and retard the proliferation of inoculated organisms. Storage temperature (1.7 C to 12.8 C) had very little effect on bacte- rial growth.What does citric acid do to eggs?
The use of citric acid decreased the severity of qualitative changes. Citric acid\u2013treated eggs demonstrated smaller weight loss, shallower air cell, higher structural albumen, less-intensive water diffusion from albumen to yolk indicating the improved resistance of the vitelline membrane.What do you put in boiled eggs to peel easier?
Add salt and vinegar to the water before cooking. The salt permeates the shell a little bit, and the vinegar helps to break down the shells, making them easier to peel.How do you keep hard-boiled eggs from getting hard to peel?
Submerge eggs in an ice water bath. Many recommend putting your newly hard-boiled eggs in an ice water bath for at least five minutes and up to 15 minutes. This method is supposed to cool and harden the eggs quickly, making them not only easier to peel but also easier to handle.How do you cook hard-boiled eggs so the shell comes off easily baking soda?
Apparently, baking soda raises the eggs' pH level and makes them easier to peel. You simply add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to a quart of water and then follow the usual steps of hard boiling an egg. Once the egg is cooked, you should be able to peel the shell of in larger pieces, making the process easier and faster.The Secret Trick That Makes Hard-Boiled Eggs Way Easier To Peel
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Answer 2
Citric acid is used after eggs are cooked and peeled to prevent grow of pathogenic bacteria especially Listeria monocytogenes. This bacteria should be readily destroyed during the boiling of eggs due to its low thermal resistance (D) value, however hard-boiled eggs may be subjected to post-processing contamination by food handlers or work surfaces during preparation and packaging. Post processing storage in citric acid is used as one of the solutions to make sure hardboiled eggs are safe to eat.
Citric acid also helps to get rid of 'grey ring' which might form around the yolk if eggs are overcooked but primary purpose of citric is food safety
Citric acid will not increase eggs peelability. It is age of egg which defines it. Fresher egg is more acidic and peels bad. While egg ages its pH increases and peelability improves.
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