Measurement of speed and attenuation of ultrasound in egg white and egg yolk

Abstract

Measurements of the speed and absorption of ultrasound in egg white and yolk at 2.10, 4.12, and 6.79 MHz over the approximate temperature range 20°–25 °C have enabled distinct trends to be detected. Further measurements using a different piece of apparatus enabled values for the absorption, every 10 MHz, over the frequency range up to 124 MHz, (from 5 MHz for the yolk and from 15 MHz for the white) to be found. These results tie in well with the more accurate lower frequency data. Egg yolk and egg white have very different ultrasonic characteristics. The temperature coefficient of the speed of sound in the former could not be detected, whereas that of the latter is very close to that of water. On the other hand, the negative temperature coefficient of absorption in the yolk shows up quite clearly, whereas that of the white is small and possibly changes sign near 4 MHz. The frequency dependence of absorption (up to 124 MHz) is close to linear in the white (exponent ∼1.2) and slightly greater in the yolk (exponent ∼1.5). Dispersion in velocity could not be detected over the frequency range of 2.1–6.8 MHz.