This Is What the Color of the Egg Yolk Says About the Egg
When it comes to eggs, there are plenty of tips and tricks that can help you tell whether you’ve got a good egg on your hands or whether you’d be better off leaving it on the shelf. It’s not just the outside of an egg that can tell you a lot; by carefully studying what’s inside the shell, you can learn quite a bit too. How is it, for example, that the color of an egg yolk differs from one egg to another?
There are still plenty of people who think that a deep, dark-orange yolk is tastier and healthier than a yellow yolk. We can tell you right away that this is complete nonsense. The amount of protein and fat in both yolks is virtually the same, and the taste will be more or less identical.
A Varied Diet
The color of the yolk is determined by what the hen eats. Most hens mainly eat grains, such as wheat and barley, as well as corn. Hens that eat insects and different types of crops in addition to grains lay eggs with more orange-colored yolks. This is due to carotenoids, natural pigments that are also found in carrots and tomatoes, for example. The more food containing these pigments a hen eats, the darker the yolk becomes.
Just as Tasty
So, the only thing you can learn from the yolk is what the hen has eaten. But as mentioned earlier, it says nothing about the nutritional value of an egg or whether it is a happy egg or not. Every egg yolk contains plenty of vitamins A, D, E and K, choline (a water-soluble nutrient that the body can produce) and omega-3 fatty acids. And a yellow yolk really is just as tasty as an orange one, and vice versa—just like brown and white eggs!
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