Egg Industry: what is the meaning and use of this term?

Abstract

In the early 2000s, eggs were rehabilitated as healthy, nutritious and economically accessible food, a rich source of animal protein and an alternative to red meat. The present work aimed to identify if the expression “Egg Industry” is used in academic publications and, if confirmed its use, to which production refers frequently, as well as in what context is used as the theme of scientific articles. For this, a systematic review of the literature was carried out, considering investigations published in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. The results obtained demonstrated that the use of the term “Egg Industry” in scientific articles has been occurring since 1947, being used mainly to designate the commercial production of chicken eggs, whose use presents a growing trend line. The articles focusing on administration, economy, markets and certifications were predominant in the use of the expression “Egg Industry” during the analyzed period.

Keywords:
Content analysis; Sustainability; Animal production; Harmlessness; Egg production chain