Automating egg damage detection for improved quality control in the food industry using deep learning

The detection and classification of damage to eggs within the egg industry are of paramount importance for the production of healthy eggs. This study focuses on the automatic identification of cracks and surface damage in chicken eggs using deep learning algorithms. The goal is to enhance egg quality control in the food industry by accurately identifying eggs with physical damage, such as cracks, fractures, or other surface defects, which could compromise their quality. A total of 794 egg images were used in the study, comprising two different classes: damaged and not damaged (intact) eggs. Four different deep learning models based on convolutional neural networks were employed: GoogLeNet, Visual Geometry Group (VGG)‐19, MobileNet‐v2, and residual network (ResNet)‐50. GoogLeNet achieved a classification accuracy of 98.73%, VGG‐19 achieved 97.45%, MobileNet‐v2 achieved 97.47%, and ResNet‐50 achieved 96.84%. According to the results, the GoogLeNet model performed the damage detection with the highest accuracy rate (98.73%). This study encompasses artificial intelligence and deep learning techniques for the automatic detection of egg damage. The early detection of egg damage and accurate interventions highlights the significant importance of using these technologies in the food industry. This approach provides producers with the ability to detect damaged eggs more quickly and accurately, thereby minimizing product losses through timely intervention. Additionally, the use of these technologies offers a more efficient means of classifying and identifying damaged eggs compared to traditional methods.