Yolk Pigment

[Shiningfeather]

I was doing same research and found this very interesting. My father has macular degeneration and I am going to tell him about this info. Let me know your input please.


Pigment content

The color of the yolk is a reflection of its pigment content. In addition, the type of pigment in the egg and its concentration are directly influenced by the dietary concentration of any particular pigment.

Consumer preferences vary greatly on yolk color, even in the same country. Color is described on the basis of the Roche Color Fan (RCF). Yolk colors from 6 to 15 can be achieved by using only natural pigmenters obtained from natural raw materials. Natural sources can be from plants such as marigold, chili, or corn. The high protein blue-green algae known as Spirulina has also been shown to be a very efficient pigment source for poultry skin and egg yolk.

Recent research has shown that eggs may be beneficial in preventing macular degeneration, a major cause of blindness in the elderly. A recent study indicated that higher intake of carotenoids reduced the risk of age-related macular degeneration. The most effective carotenoids were lutein and zeaxanthin, which are commonly found in dark-green leafy vegetables, such as spinach and collard greens.

Most of the carotenoids in egg yolk are hydroxy compounds called xanthophylls. Lutein and zeaxanthin are two of the most common xanthophylls found in egg yolk. Lutein and zeaxanthin are high in pigmented feed ingredients such as yellow corn, alfalfa meal, corn gluten meal, dried algae meal, and marigold-petal meal. Fortunately, both lutein and zeaxanthin are efficiently transferred to the yolk when these various feed ingredients are fed to laying hens.

The egg processing industry has routinely produced highly pigmented yolks for use in bakery products, pasta and mayonnaise. Perhaps there would be a market for eggs having a higher level of lutein and zeaxanthin. Unfortunately, American consumers prefer a lighter colored yolk and eggs from hens fed these xanthophylls will have more highly pigmented yolks. Perhaps the consumer can be educated to accept a darker yolk color. With a growing problem of macular degeneration in the elderly, the egg industry may want to seize this opportunity.


This is the page I got the info from if anyone wants to read more.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps048

And here is a link for the Roche Color Fan.

http://www.dsm.com/en_US/downloads/dnp/51559_poultry.pdf

 

[kcsunshine]

Very interesting.

 

[fancbrd4me02]

My grandfather has macular degeneration. It is heritable, so it is a concern for all the members of my family. Yet another reason to raise your own chickens for eggs. Thank you for sharing.

 

[OrpingtonManor]

wow, I never knew they TRY to get that pale yellow color in commercial eggs. how sad!

 

[Shiningfeather]

Quote:
I was amazed by that as well, I know I can't eat store eggs anymore though......

They actually taste bad to me now.

 

[dragonlair]

I stopped eating store eggs when I learned that according to the USDA, farm fresh eggs can be up to 6 months old. UGH! I hate the watery, pale yolked eggs. Give me dark orange yolks with thick, almost solid whites any day!

 

[Shiningfeather]

Quote:
Yea, I was kinda wondering where they got their info that Americans like the pale yolks

.......all my customers ask how dark the yolks are because they want them nice and dark.

 

[gsim]

Regarding macular degeneration there are two kinds that I read about. One is wet and the other is not. The wet is from leaky blood vessels best I can recall. I think it is likely that both can be by a lack of proper mineral content in our food. Since most produce we buy is grown on farmed-out mineral-depleted soil, it should be no surprise that we see more of this in each succeeding generation.

Sometimes the dry type is due to plaque buildup in the body's blood vessels. This results in oxygen starvation to the tissue around the eyes. The ones that support the eyes are tiny so a little plaque would do a lot of damage. There are supplements of zeaxanthan and lutein that one can buy, but fresh natural eggs have a lot of that in them. Another thing that could help a person with dry macular degeneration is to use suppositories for chelating. They are nearly as effective as IV chelation is. The substance used is a very large word, but is abbreviated as something like ETA or some such thing. It was developed for germans who were working on their version of the atomic bomb in WWII. It was taken to chelate metals from their arteries and veins, but also works on removing ordinary plaque buildup from starchy carbs, etc.

 

[Shiningfeather]

Thanks gsim for that info. Some of it makes since, but some gives me more questions. My father has had heart disease for years and had a triple by-pass because of it so the blocked arteries fit into that. The part I question is that up until the last couple of years he has had a large garden and eaten only produce that he has grown. Most of the areas he has lived are extremely rural....... where no one has lived or farmed. So he had to have recieved some minerals from the stuff he grew, so I guess his body could not process them and use them. Would this be your discription of what may have happened?