Stage 4 lockdown is looming in Victoria and that means eggs could be scarce if panic buying surges again.

However, a Geelong business has stumbled upon a procedure that extends the shelf life of eggs, which could be extremely appealing to supermarkets and restaurants. 

The Smoke Egg Company, founded in 2017 by Julie and Paul Kos, was in the process of creating a new flavour profile which involves a cold smoking process, when they realised that not only was the process adding to flavour, it was inadvertently giving the eggs an extraordinary shelf life. 

CEO Julie Kos says it was "a complete accident," when referring to the  discovery of their product's long life potential.

After witnessing all the hoarding that left supermarket shelves bare, they realised the value in their technology which has extended the shelf life of fresh eggs which is typically three weeks, even when pasteurised. 

This process has been recognised in the US and Netherlands, where the Kos’ cold smoking process has now been licenced.

Top chefs now using the process

Paul’s hobby of using a smoker at home led to their first trial of smoking eggs.

Julie, a former chef, saw the commercial potential once she tasted their cold smoked eggs.

Founder of the Gradi Group and award-winning Melbourne chef, Johnny di Francesco says "their flavour lights up the kitchen”.

Kos’ products are used in his 14 restaurants to create dishes such as his signature smoky carbonara and a smoked egg burger. 

Julie Kos first noticed the preservative effect while using the method at home. Initially when she tested it, she observed the smoked product held its form for days and weeks, which then led to further experimentation and the realisation that it could hold for months.

Julie said, "normally, the white (albumen) deteriorates and becomes liquid so you can't use it for poaching. But these held their form."

The independent, National Association of Testing Authorities lab, conducted tests and the results showed that over 18 weeks, a standard raw egg developed 21 million colonies of spoilage bacteria while the smoked egg developed just 100. The safe zone is considered to be less than 10,000.

Tatania Larocca, food safety auditor and consultant says these numbers show that the smoking process effectively stalled the ageing process as "smoking has been used as a preservation method for thousands of years”.

Two years of research and development has brought the Kos’ to the point where they have now patented their process and licensed it internationally. The company has worked with Petrie and two engineers to develop the system that stalls the ageing process and imbues flavour, keeping the egg below seven degrees the whole time.

"People say we're disrupting the egg industry," says Julie, "but I think it's more than that. We're creating an entirely new industry that the world is noticing. And I'm proud that we can do that for Victoria, and Geelong."

The Smoked Egg Company products are stocked nationally at IGA stores.