TAKE TWO IN THE MORNING AND CALL ME TOMORROW NIGHT  

Don't laugh at this prescription, it's well on its way. Micro eggs, about the size of an aspirin are being developed at Pennsylvania State University by food scientist Joseph H. MacNeil and his team of food researchers.

Why?

First of all, eggs are 70 to 80 percent water. That means threequarters of the transportation costs of delivering eggs is wasted by paying someone to haul water. Eggs in the shell sometimes crack, under imperfect conditions. They are bulky when stored in the refrigerator and the cartons fill up landfills. Whole eggs can be thrown at politicians, breed samonella and cause stomach upset. The researchers figured that the majority of eggs don't go to private individual homes, but to food companies that require large amounts of the contents inside an egg shell for baked goods and other products.

Perhaps they saw the movie "Honey, I Shrunk The Kids", but regardless they decided there would be a substantial demand for just the contents of eggs less the shells and water. First, the researchers put the eggs in a vacuum, which evaporated most of the water, leaving a thick, concentrated egg solution. In stage two, they directed this mixture into tiny cups for freezing via liquid nitrogen. Drying removed the remainder of the water. Result: small aspirin-size pellets that convert to the real thing when water is added or when mixed and cooked with other food.

The nutritional value of aspirin-sized eggs is the same as whole eggs. But the compact version is practical for camping, jungle and arctic exploring, survival packages, and for storage in mobile homes and on ships, aircraft, submarines and space stations.

With genetic modifications the future may see orange, colored tablets being laid by chickens instead of wasting all that calcium for egg shells.

More information: Joseph H. MacNeil, Food Scientist, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802. Phone: 814/865-5444.

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