Why Egg Preservation Matters
Chicken eggs are an important source of protein, vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients, but their internal quality declines progressively when they are stored at room temperature. As eggs age, water and carbon dioxide escape through pores in the eggshell. These changes increase the pH of the egg white, reduce its viscosity, weaken its structure, and eventually affect the stability of the yolk.
The problem is particularly relevant in households, traditional markets, rural communities, and other settings where continuous refrigeration is not always available. Existing preservation approaches include refrigeration, oil coatings, packaging, edible coatings, and chemical preservatives, but researchers continue to explore natural and sustainable alternatives that are easier and less costly to apply.
Panjaitan and Nirmalawaty focused on banana peel because it is commonly discarded despite containing potentially useful bioactive compounds. Banana peel contains flavonoids, phenolic compounds, tannins, alkaloids, glycosides, anthocyanins, and terpenoids. Several of these compounds are associated with antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, creating an opportunity to transform agricultural waste into a food preservation material.
Turning Banana Peel Waste into Preservation Powder
The researchers used foam-mat drying to convert kepok banana peel extract into an instant powder. The process was designed to make the extract easier to store, transport, and reconstitute than a liquid extract.
Kepok banana peels were cleaned, cut into smaller pieces, sanitized with 70 percent alcohol, and extracted using water at a 1:3 ratio. The mixture was heated at approximately 75–82 degrees Celsius for 1.5 hours before being filtered. The researchers then combined 500 grams of extract with 125 grams of egg white and 75 grams of dextrin. The mixture was whipped for 30 minutes to create foam and dried at 65 degrees Celsius for 10 hours before being ground into powder.
The resulting powder was dissolved in water at five different ratios: 1:10, 1:20, 1:30, 1:40, and 1:50. Fresh chicken eggs were immersed in the solutions for 24 hours and subsequently stored at room temperature. Egg quality was assessed on days 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28 using three indicators: Haugh Unit, albumen index, and yolk index. These measurements are widely used to evaluate the freshness and internal quality of eggs.
Egg Quality Declined, but the 1:20 Formulation Performed Best
The results showed that egg quality continued to decline as storage time increased, confirming that room-temperature storage remains a major factor affecting egg freshness.
The average Haugh Unit, an indicator of egg white quality and freshness, fell from 77.56 on day 0 to 65.26 on day 7, 61.04 on day 14, and 35.39 on day 21. A higher Haugh Unit indicates better internal egg quality, while a lower value reflects thinning and deterioration of the egg white.
The 1:20 treatment maintained acceptable egg quality for up to 14 days, while the more concentrated 1:10 formulation did not provide better preservation and showed signs of spoilage by day 21. The findings suggest that moderate concentrations may provide a better balance between bioactive compounds, solution viscosity, and the ability to form a relatively uniform coating on the eggshell.
Natural Preservation, Not a Complete Replacement for Refrigeration
The researchers suggest that compounds such as tannins and phenolics in banana peel may contribute to preservation by providing antimicrobial effects and forming a protective layer on the eggshell. Such a layer could reduce moisture loss and gas exchange, two processes closely associated with egg deterioration.
Potential Benefits for Food Businesses and Sustainable Agriculture
The approach developed by Tiurma Wiliana Susanti Panjaitan and Amelia Nirmalawaty has implications beyond egg preservation. It combines food preservation with agricultural waste utilization, creating a pathway for banana peel to become a value-added material rather than discarded waste.
For small-scale egg producers, traders, and households, a stable powder formulation could be easier to store and transport than liquid extracts. For the agricultural and food-processing sectors, the approach could also support circular production by converting a commonly discarded by-product into a potentially useful food preservation ingredient.
The researchers recommend further investigation into microbial quality, eggshell pore structure, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, and broader storage conditions. These studies would help clarify how the banana peel powder works and determine whether its preservation performance can be improved for practical commercial applications.
Author Profiles
Tiurma Wiliana Susanti Panjaitan is a researcher affiliated with Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Surabaya. Her work in this article focuses on food processing, natural preservation materials, and the utilization of agricultural by-products. The published article does not specify her academic degree.
Amelia Nirmalawaty is a researcher and corresponding author affiliated with Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Surabaya. Her research contribution in this article concerns natural food preservation, banana peel extract processing, and maintaining chicken egg quality. The published article does not specify her academic degree or a more detailed professional specialization.
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