Propolis, a resinous mixture produced by honeybees from substances collected from
plants, has strong antibacterial and antifungal properties. The purpose of the current
study was to establish the effects of prestorage application of propolis and storage
time on eggshell microbial activity, egg weight loss, hatchability, and chick performance
in quail hatching eggs. Treatments were compared in a 2 × 5 factorial design with
2 different storage times (7 and 14 d) and 5 prestorage applications (control, ethyl
alcohol 70%, 5% propolis, 10% propolis, and 15% propolis solution). After application,
the eggs were stored for 7 or 14 d at 13°C and 75 to 80% RH before incubation. Eggs
sprayed with propolis had lower levels of total aerobic mesophilic bacteria, coliform,
Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus spp., and mold yeasts than control eggs over the storage
period and incubation period. Microbial activity in eggs stored for 7 d was significantly
higher than in eggs stored for 14 d at the end of the storage. The lowest egg weight
loss during storage was obtained in P15 treatment eggs stored for 7 d, whereas the
highest egg weight loss was found in the treatment A after storage for 14 d. Although
propolis treatment at 3 different doses was not effective on relative growth, only
P15 decreased the BW at d 10, compared with the control. Hatchability in eggs stored
for 14 d was significantly lower than in eggs stored for 7 d. No significant differences
were observed for hatchability and embryonic mortality among propolis treatment groups.
Propolis did not have a detrimental effect on hatchability, embryonic mortality, or
BW gain. Our results indicate that propolis may be used to effectively reduce microbial
activity on the surface of quail hatching eggs during storage and incubation without
any detrimental effects on hatchability.