What Makes Egg Yolks Orange?

     What Makes Egg Yolks Orange?

June 18, 2021

(A pic of one of Angelica's orange egg yolks!)

There is nothing more stunning on a breakfast plate than a vibrant orange egg yolk, shimmering like a miniature sun. but does a shiny orange yolk suggest that the egg is greater nutritious or tastier? Not always.

A vivid orange yolk would not suggest the egg is clean, it doesn't suggest that the bird who laid it become handled or fed properly, and it does not even imply that the egg came from a free-range hen. A common false impression is that the greater orange the yolk, the extra nutritious the egg or that it had to come from a free-ranging hen.

The eggs from the free range chickens are in all likelihood more nutritious due to their natural, various diet, however a commercially raised hen can be fed feed that has components inclusive of corn and marigolds in it that will boost the yolk coloration as well. Even as it is genuine that chickens who free-range normally do lay eggs with deeper, darker yolks due to the fact they have a extra varied diet that includes grasses, herbs and weeds that contribute to yolk colour as well as provide an array of vitamins and nutrients to the fowl, there are other ways to make certain egg yolks are brilliant orange that don't contain any free ranging.

Even if you don't free range your chickens, there are ways so that you can boost the color of your backyard flocks' egg yolks at the same time as increasing the quality in their diet, even as no longer exposing them to the inherent risks of free-ranging. So let's take a look at what causes the color- Carotenoids, inclusive of carotene, lycopene and xanthophyll, are herbal pigments which can be found in various foods. it is the xanthophyll that creates a pleasant, vibrant orange egg yolk. So chickens with a diet excessive in such meals will lay eggs with more colourful yolks.

Foods that contain xanthophyll include:

• alfalfa
• apricots
• basil
• carrots
• corn
• dandelions
• kale
• marigolds
• nasturtium
• paprika
• parsley
• pumpkins
• red cabbage
• sea kelp
• spinach
• swiss chard
• tomatoes
• turnip green
• watermelon
• ...and the leaves of most green plants.

These various pigments contribute not only to egg yolk color, but also to the color of hens' feet and beaks. And any excess pigment not used to produce eggs is stored in feet and beaks. The males of the species (roosters) who don't lay eggs will also tend to have very orange feet and bill/beaks as long as their diet includes adequate levels of the xanthophyll pigment.

Different carotenoids such as beta-carotene and canthaxanthin don't contribute directly to yolk shade, however they do contribute to more healthy eggs due to the fact each are converted to vitamin A and help prevent the oxidation of nutrients within the eggs.

Interesting factoid: the more yellow the "white" of an egg (the albumen) is, the more riboflavin (Vitamin B2) that egg contains.

So, the bottom line is that adding wholesome sources of carotenoids, mainly xyanthophyll in your chickens' diet will not only offer them a more well-rounded, nutritious diet but also result in gorgeous vibrant egg yolks.

And if you're wondering about all the other parts of the egg? This article on egg anatomy is a good one.