Are Orange Egg Yolks Healthier Than Yellow?
Why are eggyolk orange?
The orange color is due to the compound called: Carotenoids. Carotenoids are anti-oxidants and this compound gives the egg-yolk the orange color. This class of nutrients is found mainly in the pasture feeds.
And the color of yolk from these hens will be pale- yellow! Because it’s way cheaper to stock up a lot of hens in cages, and even cage-free does not require a significantly large portion of land , these eggs are cheaper! Bottom line, Egg yolk color is widely regarded as a good indicator of an egg’s health.
Free-Range: Hens that are allowed some time in pastures but the area is small and limited. The color of the yolk from free-range even cage-free maybe bright-yellow or even orange. It’s very very tough to know if the company is adding coloring-agents to produce orange-yolk or mixing.
insects and worms. In this case, hens mostly eat a commercial feed of soy and corn! And the color of yolk from these hens will be pale- yellow!
If hens are pasture-raised —which means they are allowed to graze on the green pastures throughout the day, where they eat insects, worms, grass, and even weed which is their natural diet then the yolk-color will be dark orange (the one on the extreme left).
Dark orange color, however, is very tough to get. They are super-expensive plus their availability is very limited. One such brand I consumed for about a year was: The best eggs in the United States according to Organic Egg Scorecard – The Cornucopia Institute.
Also, the yolk from pasture-raised hens will be firm, intact, and never runny….. If hens are pasture-raised then the feed will most probably be organic, non-Gmo, and also free from herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and antibiotics.
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.
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. “While the nutritional value of the egg does not change significantly based on the color …
How to change egg yolk color?
Egg yolks can have their color changed by adding plant petals into their feed. For example; yellow petals will make the chicken yolks a little bit more yellow. However, you can also add a slightly red tinge to the chicken eggs by adding a bit of red pepper into their feed.
If you notice green egg yolk or your chicken’s egg yolks are green, then you pretty much have a big issue. It means that your chickens are probably eating something that they shouldn’t be eating.
The more plants and grass a chicken eats, the more yellow their eggs will be due to the increased Xanthophylls that they are consuming . This is why you will often find that free-range chickens tend to have far more yellow eggs. This is because they are constantly eating grass and plants.
Egg Yolk Color Chart. 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.
In fact, studies have been carried out on what the best egg yolk color is. A study made by DCM (the company who has invented the egg yolk color chart/fan above) shows that people from different countries mainly prefer egg yolk colors ranging from number 12 or above. You probably already have your own preference already.
Too much cottonseed meal can cause yolks to be salmon, dark green, or nearly black. The Chicken Encyclopedia – Gail Damerow. As we said before; if a chicken has a lot of access to grass and plants, then their egg is going to be a bit darker in color.
Alfalfa meal, clover, kale, rape, rye pasture, and certain weeds, including mustard, pennycress, and shepherd’s purse, make yolks darker. Too much cottonseed meal can cause yolks to be salmon, dark green, or nearly black.