Friday, July 31, 2009

Fake eggs enter Burmese market

 
by Mizzima News
Friday, 31 July 2009 10:56

Rangoon (Mizzima) - Burma’s state-run television on Thursday cautioned that fake-eggs, which look like normal eggs, have been entering the country through border gates.

The chemically-made fake eggs are much darker in colour and have no separate core, according to the Myanmar Television announcement at 8 p.m. (local time).

The TV also urged people to report to the authorities if they detect such eggs.

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What is a fake egg?

A fake egg is similar in looks to eggs of poultry chicken and is difficult to identify from its outward appearance. It is made of chemicals.

The white shell of the egg is made of Benzoic acid, jelly, chemical and baking powders.

The yolk of the chemical egg is made up of an unknown yellow powder mixed thoroughly with unidentified liquid and is also mixed with a liquid called ‘Magic water’, which contains calcium chloride.

Separating the yolk and white

The yolk and white of the chemical egg is separated by pouring the white and yolk into an oval-shaped plastic container and Magic Water, a form of thin membrane, which separates the yolk and the white.

The shell of the egg is made with a mixture of wax that contains paraffin and an unknown white chemical liquid. It is then poured into the oval-shaped plastic container and kept for sometime to dry. It then looks exactly like a real egg.

Caution in buying

Besides not having any protein that gives energy, and no other nutritious value, the chemicals used to make the fake eggs can lead to health problems.

Reportedly, the fake eggs have entered Burma through the border areas and are now in circulation. Consumers need to be cautious in buying the eggs.

If shaken the fake eggs spin faster and longer than real ones. On the surface of a mirror or plate it spins faster.

Darker in colour

The fake eggs are much darker in colour than the real eggs. These are more reflective as their shells are made of wax, and the surface is rougher. If the eggs are boiled the white and yolk of the fake eggs get mixed.

(Excerpts from the New Light of Myanmar)