Michael Sims of Virginia Diversified Research (VA), one of ORKA's customers in United States, said: "Egg Analyzer is a remarkable tool that has allowed VDRC to increase the number of eggs tested within treatment groups, thereby increasing the confidence levels of statistical findings, be they different or not different, resulting in stronger conclusions."

The current ORKA range includes:

• The Egg Analyzer; this instrument determines the weight of eggs, albumen height, Haugh units, yolk color and USDA grade for routine quality control and regulatory compliance
• The Egg Force Reader; this device measures the force required to crush a shell and is a direct measure of marketability
• The Egg Shell Thickness Gauge; this instrument uses ultrasound to measure the thickness of shells for quality control and research applications.

The ORKA range of instruments is used extensively in QC laboratories operated by egg producers, packers, universities, regulatory authorities, and primary breeders.

The Egg Analyzer electronically determines egg weight, albumen height and yolk color. Haugh units are automatically calculated from the measurements made and results are highly correlated to traditional manual instruments. Data is displayed on a screen and printed on a strip and can be transmitted to a PC to be entered into a computerized database using proprietary software. The assay cycle for each egg is completed within 20 seconds. Albumen height can be measured from 0 to 30 mm and Haugh units are expressed on a scale of 0 to 130. Yolk color range corresponds to the DSM scale from 1 through 15 units.

The Egg Force Reader determines the force required to create an indentation in the shell of an egg. Electronic measurement of the force is displayed on an LCD panel and is printed on a strip. Data identified to source flock and date is transferred to a computerized database using proprietary software.

The Egg Shell Thickness Guage can measure thickness at various points on the shell without resorting to the traditional time-consuming method of breaking the egg and measuring individual segments. Thickness can be measured over a range of 0.15 mm to 25 mm with a sensitivity of 0.001 mm. The instrument has a serial output to export data to a PC. The Egg Thickness Gauge is powered by batteries and is field deployable with the instrument and accessories housed in a foam-lined carrying case.