Advances in Nondestructive Technologies for External Eggshell Quality Evaluation

The structural integrity of poultry eggs is essential for food safety, economic value, and hatchability. External eggshell quality-measured by thickness, strength, cracks, color, and cleanliness-is a key criterion for grading and sorting. Traditional assessment methods, although simple, suffer from subjectivity, low efficiency, and destructive nature. In contrast, recent developments in nondestructive testing (NDT) technologies have enabled precise, automated, and real-time evaluation of eggshell characteristics. This review systematically summarizes state-of-the-art NDT techniques including acoustic resonance, ultrasonic imaging, terahertz spectroscopy, machine vision, and electrical property sensing. Deep learning and sensor fusion methods are highlighted for their superior accuracy in microcrack detection (up to 99.4%) and shell strength prediction. We further discuss emerging challenges such as noise interference, signal variability, and scalability for industrial deployment. The integration of explainable AI, multimodal data acquisition, and edge computing is proposed as a future direction to develop intelligent, scalable, and cost-effective eggshell inspection systems. This comprehensive analysis provides a valuable reference for advancing nondestructive quality control in poultry product supply chains.