Egg yolk colour and source of carotenoids

ENGLMAIEROVÁ, Michaela. Egg yolk colour and source of carotenoids. Výživa a potraviny, 2018, vol. 73(4), p. 106-109. ISSN 1211-846X.
Year2018
CathegoryPublication in specialized journals
Internal link18176.pdf
Abstract

Eggs with darker yolk are still considered to be better. The egg yolk colour is determined by the amount of carotenoids in the feed mixture. Carotenoids represent a broad group of fat-soluble pigments that are primarily found in plants. Synthetic sources of carotenoids are predominantly used in hens kept under commercial conditions. An alternative can be the natural sources such as marigold, pepper, algae or the possibility of grazing. Natural sources of carotenoids increase in particular the content of health-promoting carotenoids and are more effective in increasing oxidative stability of lipids than synthetic forms. Therefore, it is not important how intense shade of colour the yolk has, but what source of carotenoids was used to colour it.