[Microbiological aspects of stored hard-boiled eggs].

Hard-bioled eggs in the shell were without any pretreatment stored in air at 20 degrees C and 4 degrees C. Furthermore the keeping quality of varnish-coated eggs stored in air at 20 degrees C and of untreated eggs stored in 100% carbon dioxide at the same temperature was studied. Hard-boiled eggs stored at 4 degrees C and varnish-coated eggs stored at 20 degrees C were of excellent bacteriological quality up to 5 weeks. Untreated eggs stored in air at 20 degrees C showed high microbiological contamination (more than 10(6)/g) already after one week. The CO2 storage atmosphere inhibited the growth of microorganisms during the first week of storage, but in the days to follow counts increased to more than 10(6)/g as well.