When to Use Pasteurised Egg Products

Use pasteurised egg products — chilled liquid, frozen or powdered egg — whenever a dish contains raw or lightly cooked egg that won't be cooked to 75°C, such as aioli, mayonnaise, mousse, tiramisu, hollandaise and eggnog. Pasteurisation heats the egg enough to reduce Salmonella without setting it, so the finished dish starts from a much lower risk. Switch from shell eggs when you serve vulnerable customers or prepare these dishes in volume. Key takeaways: Pasteurised egg is gently heat-treated to reduce Salmonella while staying liquid, making it the safer choice for any dish with raw or lightly cooked egg.. The highest-risk dishes are those served without a reliable 75°C cook step — aioli, mayonnaise, mousse, tiramisu, hollandaise, eggnog and similar sauces and desserts.. Consider switching from shell eggs when serving vulnerable groups (elderly, pregnant women, young children, immunocompromised) or when preparing raw-egg dishes in bulk or ahead of time.. Pasteurised egg does not remove your other controls — cold-hold at 5°C or below, apply the 2-hour/4-hour rule and prevent cross-contact once product is opened.. Pasteurised egg still contains egg, a declared allergen, so labelling under Standard 1.2.3 (PEAL) and accurate allergen communication still apply.. What pasteurised egg products are Pasteurised egg products are shell eggs that have been broken out and gently heat-treated to reduce Salmonella and other bacteria, then supplied as chilled or frozen liquid egg (whole egg, egg white or egg yolk) or as dried egg powder. The heat is carefully controlled — high enough to knock back pathogens, but low enough that the egg stays liquid and usable rather than setting. The result behaves much like a raw shell egg in a recipe, but with a far lower microbial load. Because the egg is already out of the shell, you also remove a second contamination route: the shell surface itself, which can carry Salmonella and soil. Liquid pasteurised egg usually comes in sealed cartons or bags with a use-by date, while powdered egg is reconstituted with water before use and has a long, stable shelf life that suits high-volume baking and remote sites. Pasteurised egg is not sterile and it is not indestructible. Once a carton is opened or powder is reconstituted, it becomes a potentially hazardous food that must be handled with the same temperature and time controls as any raw egg. Why raw and lightly cooked egg is a risk Raw and lightly cooked egg dishes are a well-known source of Salmonella, which can be present on the shell or, less commonly, inside the egg. When a dish is not cooked to a temperature that destroys the bacteria, any Salmonella present can survive — and if the food then sits in the temperature danger zone of 5°C to 60°C, it can multiply to levels that make people ill. Cooking egg so the core reaches 75°C reliably reduces Salmonella, which is why a firm-set quiche or a well-cooked omelette is low-risk. The problem dishes are the ones where egg is eaten raw or barely cooked, so the protective heat step is missing or too gentle. That is exactly the gap pasteurised egg is designed to fill. The people most likely to become seriously unwell are the elderly, pregnant women, infants and young children, and anyone with a weakened immune system. If your venue serves these groups — for example an aged-care kitchen, childcare service or hospital — raw shell egg carries a risk you should actively design out. Which dishes should use pasteurised egg Use pasteurised egg for anything that contains raw or lightly cooked egg and won't reach 75°C before it is served. These are the dishes where a switch makes the biggest difference to safety. For dishes that are thoroughly cooked, shell eggs are generally fine, provided you handle and store them well. A firm frittata, a baked cake or a hard-boiled egg reaches temperatures that control Salmonella, so pasteurised egg is optional rather than essential. The decision comes down to the final cook: no reliable 75°C step means pasteurised egg is the safer default. Raw-egg sauces and dressings: aioli, mayonnaise, hollandaise, béarnaise and Caesar dressing.. Cold desserts and confections: mousse, tiramisu, egg-based cheesecake fillings and some ice creams.. Drinks and toppings: eggnog, egg-white cocktails and raw-egg protein drinks.. Lightly cooked items: soft meringues, some custards, and dishes where egg is folded in at the end without further cooking.. When a business should switch from shell eggs Switch to pasteurised egg when the consequences of getting it wrong are highest. The clearest trigger is your customer base — if you serve vulnerable groups, many regulators and safe-food guides recommend avoiding raw shell egg altogether and using a pasteurised product instead. Volume and time are the next triggers. Making a large batch of mayonnaise or mousse in advance, holding it through service and serving it over several hours multiplies both the chance that Salmonella is present and the time it has to grow. A pasteurised product lowers the starting risk before your cold-holding and time controls even begin. If you keep using shell eggs for a raw-egg dish, your food safety program should show why that is safe in your context and how you control the risk. You serve aged care, childcare, hospitals or other high-risk settings.. You prepare raw or lightly cooked egg dishes regularly or in bulk.. You make dishes ahead and hold them, rather than to order.. You have had a customer complaint, audit finding or council recommendation about raw egg.. How to store and handle pasteurised egg safely Pasteurised egg reduces the starting risk, but it does not replace your everyday controls. Treat opened liquid egg and reconstituted powder as potentially hazardous food and keep them out of the danger zone. Frozen liquid egg should be thawed under refrigeration, not on the bench, and used promptly once thawed — never refreeze it. If a dish made with pasteurised egg is cooled after preparation, use two-stage cooling: from 60°C to 21°C within two hours, then from 21°C to 5°C within a further four hours, so it moves through the danger zone quickly. Keep chilled liquid egg at 5°C or below and use it within the supplier's stated time after opening.. Reconstitute only the powder you need, keep the mix cold and don't hold it at room temperature.. Apply the 2-hour/4-hour rule to any finished dish made with egg that sits in the danger zone.. Prevent cross-contact with clean, sanitised equipment, and never top up an old batch with new product.. Rotate stock by use-by date and follow first-in, first-out.. Allergen labelling still applies Switching to pasteurised egg changes the microbial risk, not the allergen. Egg is one of the declared allergens that must be managed under the Food Standards Code, so a dish made with pasteurised egg still contains egg and must be handled and communicated accordingly. For packaged food, egg must be declared under the allergen labelling requirements in Standard 1.2.3, using the Plain English Allergen Labelling (PEAL) format, which requires the allergen to be stated in a consistent, specified way in the statement of ingredients and in a summary statement. For food sold unpackaged — most restaurant and café dishes — you must be able to tell a customer accurately, on request, whether a dish contains egg. Check the label of your pasteurised egg product too. Some products are plain egg, but others may contain added ingredients, and any additional declared allergens carry through to your finished dish. Checklist: Every raw or lightly cooked egg dish identified and reviewed. Pasteurised egg used for dishes with no reliable 75°C cook step. Product labels checked for added ingredients and declared allergens. Chilled liquid egg held at 5°C or below and used within the opened time. Powder reconstituted in small amounts and kept cold. 2-hour/4-hour rule applied to finished egg dishes. Frozen product thawed under refrigeration and never refrozen. Egg declared as an allergen on labels (PEAL) or communicated accurately on request. Food safety program updated with the switch and any residual shell-egg risk. Common mistakes: Assuming pasteurised egg is sterile and skipping cold-holding and time controls once it's opened.. Using shell eggs for raw-egg dishes served to aged care, childcare or hospital customers.. Topping up an old batch of mayonnaise or aioli with fresh product instead of making a clean new batch.. Thawing frozen liquid egg on the bench and leaving it in the danger zone.. Forgetting that pasteurised egg still contains egg and must be declared as an allergen.. Not documenting why shell egg is still used for a particular dish in the food safety program..