Whether they are brown or white, which are increasingly difficult to find, eggs do not offer nutritional or gastronomic differences depending on whether their shell is one color or another, which depends on the breed of hen. It may raise more doubts yolk coloration, whose range of shades can vary from the softest yellow to the most intense and dark orange. In this case, the color does give us some clues about the possible quality of the egg.
While the color of peel does not depend at all on the quality, state or nutritional properties of the egg, the yolk can reflect the conditions in which the laying hen has been raised, especially its feeding. Although sometimes it can lead to false assumptions.
What does the color of the yolk depend on
The yolks are made up of 50% water and concentrate most of the egg’s nutrients, especially its vitamins, fats and minerals, to which proteins are added. It also contains carotenoidscompounds with antioxidant action that are responsible for its yellowish or orange color.
The hue or intensity of an egg yolk depend on food of the hen Carotenes are naturally present in a multitude of vegetables, and not only in orange and yellow ones (carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, peppers, oranges and tangerines…), but also in green leaves and herbs, as they absorb light for plant photosynthesis.
Thus, the herbs and small plants that a hen raised free of cages, pecking at will and pleasure on the farm or field, will probably ingest more carotenoids, in addition to small worms, seeds and cereals. This richer and more varied diet, loaded with antioxidants, gives rise to yolks more orange, with more intense tones; a hen that has spent her life in a cage or on a monotonous diet poor in carotenoids may lay eggs with paler, yellower yolks.
Theory does not always reflect reality
According to this information, an egg with an orange yolk will be richer in antioxidant vitamins and fats of quality -carotenoids accumulate in lipids-, and therefore we would be facing a hen of the so-called “happy”, freer breeding and with access to the outside. But this is not always so.
Chicken and egg breeders and producers know that the consumer is guided by customs and beliefs, and it is possible alter yolk color at will based on feed or specific supplements. Some studies and surveys of population groups show that consumers in different countries have a preference for one type of egg or another, white or brown, with a yellow or orange yolk, depending on their tradition. So companies try to give them what they ask for.
It is only necessary to modify the diet of the hens at will so that they produce yolks of one color or another, for example by producing feed with additives rich in carotenoid dyes (carotenes or xanthophylls such as lutein, depending on whether an orange or yellow color is sought), or enriching their diet with natural pigments, in the case of organic eggs.
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In conclusion, the color of the yolk reflects the amount and type of carotenoids that the hen has ingested, but it does not have to be an indication of the life of the bird or its diet. Let us remember that for know how to breed According to European legislation, you have to look at the numerical code.
Images | Unsplash – Marco Verch
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