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- #11
OK, I'll correct myself.
I just found this article (heavily scientific):
http://www.wattpoultry.com/EggIndustry/Article.aspx?id=16380
excerpt:
I just found this article (heavily scientific):
http://www.wattpoultry.com/EggIndustry/Article.aspx?id=16380
excerpt:
. . . Producers in the United States are required to use only natural pigmenting agents, which are derived from vegetable sources, although the active components are concentrated by extraction and purification.
The second component of yolk intensity relates to the specific health benefits correlated to the level of xanthophylls which comprise mainly lutein and zeaxanthin. Informed consumers are responding to advice provided by dieticians and specialists in ocular and vascular medicine to increase their intake of these pigments.
. . . The major sources of xanthophylls in diets for laying hens include corn, corn gluten meal, and dehydrated alfalfa meal. The xanthophyll content of these ingredients is shown in Table 1. Specific assays for lutein and zeaxanthin in U.S. ingredients and in feed are shown in Table 2. Variability in the carotenoid composition of ingredients contributes to variation in the intensity of yolk color produced by hens fed similar diets at different times of the year.
. . . Dieticians affiliated with the Egg Nutrition Center have reviewed available peer-reviewed scientific literature confirming the value of regular consumption of eggs in preventing age-related macular degeneration, promoting the integrity of skin and the possibility of reducing the incidence rate of certain cancers. The common factor to the health promoting attributes of eggs relate to the antioxidant properties of lutein, which is a vital component of cell membranes, which must be protected against peroxidation by free radicals.
The second component of yolk intensity relates to the specific health benefits correlated to the level of xanthophylls which comprise mainly lutein and zeaxanthin. Informed consumers are responding to advice provided by dieticians and specialists in ocular and vascular medicine to increase their intake of these pigments.
. . . The major sources of xanthophylls in diets for laying hens include corn, corn gluten meal, and dehydrated alfalfa meal. The xanthophyll content of these ingredients is shown in Table 1. Specific assays for lutein and zeaxanthin in U.S. ingredients and in feed are shown in Table 2. Variability in the carotenoid composition of ingredients contributes to variation in the intensity of yolk color produced by hens fed similar diets at different times of the year.
. . . Dieticians affiliated with the Egg Nutrition Center have reviewed available peer-reviewed scientific literature confirming the value of regular consumption of eggs in preventing age-related macular degeneration, promoting the integrity of skin and the possibility of reducing the incidence rate of certain cancers. The common factor to the health promoting attributes of eggs relate to the antioxidant properties of lutein, which is a vital component of cell membranes, which must be protected against peroxidation by free radicals.