Fake Eggs goes in Malaysia...

The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) has warned consumers to be wary of the existence of fake eggs being sold in the market. These eggs have an unusual shape and when cooked do not smell or taste like real ones.

Recently, a woman who bought a tray of eggs in Pulau Tikus had a shock when she found them to be “fake eggs”. She only suspected that they were fake after she overheard a caller complaining about fake eggs over a radio programme.

CAP president said the housewife had brought the eggs to his office after finding something fishy when she tried to cook them. She told us that the eggs did not smell like real eggs and were tasteless. It was also of unusual shapes and larger than real eggs. The fake egg also had a rougher surface than the real one.

CAP president, S.M. Mohamed Idris said upon examination it was found that the eggs were unusually large and when broken there was no sign of chalazae (opaque ropes of egg white which holds the egg yolk in the centre of the shell). The eggs were also devoid of any smell associated with real eggs, and white and yolk quickly mixed together, unlike that of real eggs.

He said after boiling the egg and cutting it open, the egg yolk appeared to be more “yellowish” than a normal egg.

(The fake egg yolk (left) is more yellowish than that of a normal egg)

Idris said there had been reports of fake eggs sold in China and added that the fake eggs were made of chemicals and sold at lower prices. He said they were made of calcium carbonate while the egg yolk and egg white were made of sodium alginate, alum, gelatin, benzoic acid, calcium chloride, water and colouring. 

The egg yolk is made by adding lemon yellow food colouring to the mixture. Calcium chloride is added to the egg mixture into the mold to produce the egg membrane. The egg shell is made of paraffin wax, gypsum powder, calcium carbonate and other materials. These substances are generally food additives but in the making of artificial eggs they have become the major components.

Idris also said it would be very hard to tell the difference between fake eggs and real ones as both looked almost identical. He urged the authorities to conduct an immediate investigation into this issue. The components of these chemicals can affect the health of consumers, such as disturbing the metabolism, brain, nerve cells and affect liver function. Furthermore, fake eggs may contain gelatin, which is HARAM (illicit) to Muslims.