Egg shell colors differ. But so does the color of egg yolks inside. You might have been surprised on cracking open an egg to find that the yolk inside is not of the color you are used to seeing always. It might be light yellow, deeper yellow or even of an orange color. Your main concern at that time is whether it is safe to consume that egg with a deeper colored yolk. Let us know what experts have to say on it.
Egg yolks and their various colors
Whether the hens eggs are white or brown in color on the outside, the inside of these eggs usually have a lighter yellow yolk. This is what most of us are used to seeing. But sometimes, the yolks can be a deeper yellow or for that matter even orange in color.
You might be wondering on the reason for this darker colored yolks of eggs. Is there any difference in nutrition between them? And are the deeper colored yolks safe to eat? Here is what the experts have to say on it.
Egg yolks: different colors (Source: Est this, not that)Orange colored yolk of egg
The yolk color varies according to the feed that the hen who lays the eggs gets. Dr. Fernando Cisneros, Global Manger Layers Solutions at DSM states:
“The nutritional value of an egg is determined by factors like its protein content, amino acid profile, and vitamin and mineral content,”
Fernando adds:
“The healthier hens will have more carotenoids in their eggs, producing a deep golden-colored yolk,”
So golden yolk implies the hen was healthy, had good quality feeds and was in a husbandry with good practices. Jeanine Flaherty, VP of Food Safety and Quality Assurance at Vital Farms has this to say on the color of yolks:
“The Vital Farms girls eat a variety of seasonal vegetation and critters as they roam on pasture, as well as supplemental feed developed by a poultry nutritionist for added protein and nutrients to support their health and active lifestyles.”
Egg yolks and their color gauging (Source: Organic Valley)The nutrition remains same. Only carotenoids are more in orange yolks.
Safety and color of yolks
Jeanine reassures that the color of the yolks should not be a cause of concern. According to Jeanine,
“Variation in yolk color is affected by how often, how much, and what hens eat.”
She elaborates:
“Because Vital Farms girls are pasture-raised, it’s natural for yolk color to vary seasonally. In the summer to early fall, the girls tend to eat less due to the warmer temperatures. In the winter, they tend to eat more to stay warm. We do our best to respect the variation that stems from all the variables created by our system of family farming.”
DSM Yolkfan (Source: DSM)Also, read Eggs and good egg combinations!
DSM YolkFan™ is a cheap, simple, reliable and consistent tool to measure egg yolk color. It has 16 blades now and can standardize eggs. Most of them at Vital Farms are in the range of 9 to 11. Fernando says:
“The latest version was launched in 2016, with the YolkFan™ now including 16 blades, to reflect the growing requirement of the market for a deeper shade of orange in the yolk.”