Are Eggs With Orange Yolks Better For You?

On Aug 6, 2022

Some studies say that free-range eggs have more omega-3s and lower cholesterol, though we know now that any hen, free-range or not, can make an orange yolk with the right diet. There’s also no real proof that an orange yolk tastes any better, though many swear the flavor is richer and creamier (we do eat with our eyes, after all!).

Steele says, however, the color could be a complete fake. “An orange yolk is indicative of the chicken’s diet,” says Steele who lives outside Bangor, Maine with her husband, chickens, ducks, and farm. “So if the chicken is eating a lot of things that have xanthophylls in them, which is beta-carotene, it makes egg yolks orange.”

Even though the darker yolks do provide rich nutrients for the consumers, that does not mean the nutritional value of the egg changes at all. In fact, according to Paul, the yolk will still provide the same amount of protein and fat, no matter the color.

As you can see in the egg yolk color chart bellow, the egg color tends to vary from yellow to orange to shades of red yolk. Not completely red, just yellow with a reddish hue added to it. As long as the eggs have a yolk that is somewhat yellow, then you pretty much have a healthy chicken egg. There is no real best egg yolk color here.

Where does the color of the yolk come from?

The yolk color actually comes from what the hens eat: a diet rich in carotenoids, the natural yellow-orange pigment found in fruits (cantaloupe), vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes, and kale), and flowers. No artificial color additives are allowed in chicken feed, so any orange yolks you spot come from a pure source.

An orange yolk and a yellow one are the same nutritionally. Some studies say that free-range eggs have more omega-3s and lower cholesterol, though we know now that any hen, free-range or not, can make an orange yolk with the right diet.

What does it mean when a chicken has an orange yolk?

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The color isn’t an indication, which means the only way to truly know if the egg you’re eating came from a happy chicken that roams a pasture or a sad chicken packed in a cage is to see the chickens in their habitat. “You can fake a pasture-raised egg or an egg from a happy chicken.

One Thing Your Egg Can Tell You Just by Looking at It. If it’s fresh: Steele says the yolks from fresh eggs stand tall and mighty, and the whites are thick and gelatinous. As eggs age, however, the yolks stretch out, and it more closely resembles a flat pancake when cracked into the pan.

Once upon a time, common nutrition folklore suggested brown chickens’ eggs were more nutritious than white. Word finally spread that the hue of an ovo makes absolutely no nutritional difference, and people finally stopped paying a premium for the slightly more stylish option.

That, it turns out, is also a lie. “An organic egg and a non-organic egg are going to look exactly the same and taste exactly the same,” says Lisa Steele, a fifth generation chicken keeper and writer at Fresh Eggs Daily.

Why are egg yolks orange?

This diet is rich in carotenoids, which gives the yolks the rich orange color.”. “Some studies show that darker and more colorful egg yolks, especially from pasture-raised hens, can have more omega-3s and vitamins due to the more natural feed the chickens eat,” says Rachel Paul, PhD, RD from CollegeNutritionist.com.

According to a study published by the Journal of Food Science, egg yolks that have a darker color (such as a mustard yellow or a light orange) typically contain even more omega-3s and vitamins compared to an average lighter yolk egg.

Rissetto also points out that the color of the yolks can actually taste different! She points out that some chefs even say the deeper colored yolks (like the orange yolks) will likely have the “more vibrant flavor” compared to lighter ones.