健康小貼士：雞蛋是否需要冷藏(雙語)

To refrigerate or not, that is the question. When it comes to eggs, it all depends on where you live. Different nations handle this food storage issue differently.

對於某些食品來說，冷藏還是不冷藏，這是一個問題。而雞蛋究竟要不要冷藏則取決於你所生活的地方。不同的國家在雞蛋儲存的處理上是有區別的。

Here in the U.S., we refrigerate — always — while our neighbors across the ocean in the U.K. (and many other countries) don』t. It』s not so much a matter of custom as it is of food safety. Here』s why.

在美國，我們的雞蛋一般都是要冷藏的，但是我們大洋彼岸的鄰居——英國（當然還有很多其他國家）則不冷藏。這並不是因為風俗的關係，而是與食品安全有關。以下就是原因。

In the U.S., all of our commercial eggs are power-washed before being packaged and shipped to a local grocery store near you. The reason for power washing is to rid the egg』s exterior of any harmful bacteria — salmonella is the big fear here — by rinsing off all organic matter.

在美國，我們所有的成品雞蛋都是經過強力清洗后才能打包運送到您身邊的本地商店。通過清除所有的有機物，這種清洗方式能去除雞蛋表層任何的有害細菌——其中沙門氏菌是最大的擔憂。

Salmonella can contaminate an egg in two ways. One, by passing from an infected hen to its egg when laid. Or two, it can get on the outside of the shell from contact with chicken feces. Power washing does away with the manure. Unfortunately, it also washes away the egg』s natural protective coating called the cuticle, making it more porous and susceptible to contamination. Refrigerating the eggs helps keep potentially harmful microorganisms at bay.

沙門氏菌通過兩種方式污染雞蛋。第一種方式是在下蛋的母雞已被感染，因而雞蛋也被感染。另一種方式則是由於雞蛋殼與雞糞接觸，導致雞蛋感染沙門氏菌。而強力清洗則能去除雞糞。可惜的是，這種清洗方式也會使得雞蛋天然的保護層，我們稱之為cuticle（護膜），被清洗掉，從而雞蛋更容易受到感染。冷藏雞蛋則能有效地防止有害微生物的滋生。

In the U.K. however, eggs are not washed because it』s believed that washing can transfer harmful bacteria from the outside to the inside of the egg. Instead, hens in the U.K. are vaccinated to prevent salmonella.

然而，在英國，雞蛋是不清洗的，因為他們相信清洗會將有害病菌從雞蛋表層帶進雞蛋裡層。因此，英國的母雞都會注射疫苗，防止感染沙門氏菌。

Both methods are effective in keeping salmonella controlled — one is not better than the other. Just be sure to be aware of the safety regulations in whichever country you happen to be buying your eggs in.

這兩種方法都能有效控制沙門氏菌——並沒有優劣之分。你只需要留意你要買雞蛋的那個國家的食品安全規定就行。

As they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

正如有句話說得好，入鄉隨俗。