New Developments in Egg Science: Allergy-Free and Sex-Identified Eggs

Scientists from the University of California, Davis, and SensIT Ventures have developed a new method for determining the sex of fertilized chicken eggs by "sniffing" chemicals released through the shell. Using a modified version of a commercial egg-handling suction cup, the researchers were able to accurately determine the sex of the embryos 80% of the time after only eight days of incubation and using just 2 minutes of sampling. This method holds promise for developing a practical and efficient way to determine the sex of embryos and address some of the challenges faced by the poultry industry.