Can YouTell Which EGG Is The Healthiest To Eat?

Don't you know that healthiest eggs can be determine by the color of its yolk? It was when we crack the egg that we hope nothing is unusual with its content or smell. We often disregard the cracked egg if its fresh or not by ignoring the color of its yolk. Surely, the egg yolks color has something to do on its freshness and nutrients as the egg yolks varies its colors as well.

A little finding proves that " The darker your yolk is, the more nutrients it contains". This is because of the source hen where it came from. The more healthier, and variety of feeds the hen gets, the more healthier the egg it produces. While the lighter yellow yolks are proven to be less in nutrients.

The yolk in a newly laid egg is round and firm. As the yolk ages, it absorbs water from the albumen, which increases its size and causes it to stretch and weaken the vitelline membrane (the clear casing enclosing the yolk). The resulting effect is a flattened and enlarged yolk shape.

Yolk color is dependent on the diet of the hen; if the diet contains yellow/orange plant pigments known as xanthophylls, then they are deposited in the yolk, coloring it. Lutein is the most abundant pigment in egg yolk. A colorless diet can produce an almost colorless yolk. Yolk color is, for example, enhanced if the diet includes products such as yellow corn and marigold petals. In the US, the use of artificial color additives is forbidden.

Although the age of the egg and the conditions of its storage have a greater influence, the bird's diet does affect the flavor of the egg. For example, when a brown-egg chicken breed eats rapeseed or soy meals, its intestinal microbes metabolize them into fishy-smelling triethylamine, which ends up in the egg. The unpredictable diet of free-range hens will produce unpredictable eggs. Duck eggs tend to have a flavor distinct from, but still resembling chicken eggs.

Careful storage of edible eggs is extremely important, as an improperly handled egg can contain elevated levels of Salmonella bacteria that can cause severe food poisoning. In the US, eggs are washed, and this cleans the shell, but erodes the cuticle. The USDA thus recommends refrigerating eggs to prevent the growth of Salmonella.