“The color of the yolk depends on what the chicken is fed. For some reason, it is believed that orange yolks are healthier. Unfortunately, no matter how much we care about our nutrition, we do not always understand which foods are actually healthy and which are not. You can sprinkle something into the bird's food and the yolk will turn red. Question: what's in the food? Factories have their own feeding systems; the larger the production, the more these systems rely on chemical additives. And in general, I noticed that in general, factory eggs are more whitish and faded in color, while farm eggs are more saturated in color. That is, the yellow yolk of a farm egg will be brighter than the yellow yolk of a factory egg. The other side of the coin is that farmers do not have money for vaccines, but poultry need them, just like small children. Therefore, farm eggs are considered “healthy” rather conditionally. Personally, I find this picture more visually pleasing: you break an egg, and the yolk is a juicy orange color. For me, such eggs taste more interesting, richer or something. But I’m not ready to overpay three times for this, especially since the benefits, as I said, are very conditional.”

Alexey Berzin, chef of the Cook’kareku restaurant:

“The color of the yolk depends on the chicken’s diet. Food may contain substances that affect color, for example, carotenoids, which are responsible for red shades: remember the same carrots. If the chicken is simply pecking at the grass, the color of the yolk will be richer. But you won't taste much difference. The taste also depends on the food, but not on the color additives, but on the naturalness of the ingredients. Farm eggs with any yolks will taste better than industrial eggs with orange ones. There is also a gastronomic sense in using eggs with different yolks: for example, creme brulee from orange yolks turns out very beautiful and bright. And many people visually like it when scrambled eggs with bright yolks are on the plate. But when we were choosing eggs for the restaurant (at Cook’kareku eggs are present in almost every dish. - Note ed.), we were guided not by the visual component, but by quality: we take dietary eggs with a shelf life of up to 10 days and small ones (the older the chicken, the larger the eggs): it seems to me that small eggs taste better.”

Irina Nikulina, chief livestock specialist of Sinyavinskaya Poultry Farm CJSC:

“The egg yolk is the most pigment-rich part of a chicken egg. The pigments in the yolk are carotenoids. These are very common natural pigments of yellow, orange or red in nature. Carotenes, which give color to the yolk, cannot be synthesized in the chicken's body. Therefore, the main factor influencing the content of carotenes and, therefore, determining the color of the egg yolk is poultry feed. The color of the yolk is also affected by the age of the bird: the older the hen, the less saturated the color of the yolk of her eggs.

If the bird's diet contains additives rich in yellow pigment, the yolk will appear a more saturated yellow or orange hue. This effect is achieved by bright yellow corn and grass meal. If you feed your chicken pale corn and alfalfa, the yolk color will be pale yellow. When feeding with colorless food, the yolk will have a barely noticeable yellow tint. There are a lot of color options. And if you buy an egg with orange yolk, there is no guarantee that the chicken was fed the correct supplements and not chemicals. Therefore, you should not draw conclusions about the quality of the product only by the color of the yolk.

This begs the question: why do grandmothers in the village always have eggs with a bright orange yolk? The answer is very simple: domestic chickens eat more grass, and it contains a lot of beta-carotenoids, which are more active natural dyes. In conditions industrial cultivation poultry feed is primarily grain-based and can include up to 16 ingredients, including grass meal. Here it is complex dish preparing for poultry.

So: the color of the yolk is not a sign of freshness and naturalness and does not in any way affect the quality, nutritional value and taste of the egg. The common belief that orange yolk is more natural and better than yellow is a misconception. And the color of the yolk does not depend at all on the color of the shell. There is no need to think that brown eggs have a richer yolk, and white ones are always paler. This is also a misconception.

But it’s difficult to argue about taste. And the point here, I believe, is this. When we talk about food, we immediately imagine that the dish should look tasty, and therefore bright. And here the orange yolk, of course, wins. But this does not mean that yellow is worse or not as tasty.

Often egg producers try to feed laying hens brightly colored feed to make the product look more attractive to the buyer. But if the bright color of the yolk were an indicator of quality, then all manufacturers would strive to achieve a color close to red. But this is not happening.”

Reply from the site

1. Cholesterol. Each yolk contains about 0.2 g of cholesterol. This substance is indispensable for the life of the body, but in required quantities synthesized internal organs. About 0.5-0.7 g of cholesterol per day should come from food. That's 3 yolks, but there are other foods that contain cholesterol. Many bodybuilders eat several dozen eggs per day. If they didn’t throw away the yolks, there would be a clear overkill with cholesterol...

2. Fats. The yolk contains about 5 g of fat. If you eat one omelet per day, fats will be beneficial. Things are completely different when daily ration dozens of eggs. 20 eggs = 100 g of fat, which very often does not fit into the daily requirement.

Thus, you should throw away the yolks only if you eat more than 5 eggs per day ( of these, still leave 2-3 yolks). In other cases, it is better to eat the yolks, because... they contain a lot of useful substances!

Egg whites are highly valued by many people: athletes, losing weight, trying to monitor the quantity and quality of what they eat. nutrients. But the yolk has a worse reputation, to put it mildly. But is it fair to accuse him of the sins of which he is accused?

Research shows that eating eggs is a fairly convenient source of nutrients for the body. They may also play a key role in weight control, muscle strength, proper brain function, eye health, and are recommended for pregnant women. Just one egg a day reduces the risk of stroke by as much as 12%. It turns out that consuming "gifts from the chicken" is useful and healthy, and each of us should introduce them into our diet, as well as make sure that the youngest ones eat at least two to three eggs a week.

Eggs and cholesterol

Dozens of studies conducted by scientists around the world clearly state that this natural product is appropriate on the menu of almost every person. Where did the thesis that eggs are bad and should not be eaten come from? This reputation is largely due to the fact that one egg contains about 200 mg of cholesterol, with most of this substance stored in the yolk. That's why doctors urged us to be careful with the yolk, because high level Blood cholesterol is the main cause of heart disease. However, few people take into account that correct level"good" cholesterol is essential for life and proper operation the whole body. This substance helps build new cells, supports the work nervous system, the production of hormones, and in the case of men, helps to increase testosterone in the body. IN normal conditions The liver produces cholesterol, which is found in animal products such as milk, eggs and meat.

Of course, too much cholesterol contributes to cardiovascular disease. However, you should not consider food of animal origin (and egg yolks in particular) as the only culprit of cardiovascular diseases. For some time now, scientists have been conducting research that clearly shows that high cholesterol levels are not alone responsible for cardiovascular disease. Scientific research has shown that in fact saturated fats and trans fats have an effect on blood cholesterol levels, but this is also not the only factor troublesome with heart.

Nutrients in an egg

On the other hand, you need to turn the most close attention that the yolk of an egg contains almost everything essential vitamins and minerals that are present in the egg. That being said, most of the nutrients will be lost if we ignore it and eat protein alone. Yes, egg white contains approximately 60% of total number protein in the egg, but the yolk contains nutrients such as vitamin D, E, A, choline and carotenoids, which support the body in absorbing many important substances from eggs. In addition, eggs contain phospholipids, which can have a positive effect on blood cholesterol levels and limit inflammation in the body. Therefore, it is not true that they lead to the formation of cholesterol and cannot be eaten (or can be eaten, but only in very, very limited quantities).

The nutrients in the yolk help reduce blood pressure and improve functionality blood vessels. From preliminary findings from studies examining the impact of this natural product For those suffering from Alzheimer's disease, it follows that eggs can help reduce the symptoms of such a problem.

Thus, from all of the above it follows that eggs in general and yolks in particular are not to blame for diseases of the cardiovascular system, but rather the opposite. After all, they are full of nutrients that need to be actively used. We can easily eat cooked eggs in different ways. Without a doubt, raw is the healthiest and contains greatest number nutrients. But many doctors warn about salmonella and other harmful microorganisms that may be present in them. However, nothing prevents you from preparing, for example, a tasty and satisfying omelette for breakfast, which will provide energy for the whole morning.

Is it true that eggs with orange yolks are better quality? What determines the color of the yolk? From the health of the chicken, the breed, or maybe the quality of the feed? Let’s figure it out together with Andrey Filimonov, a representative of the Leto agro-industrial holding.

The widespread belief that orange yolk is supposedly more natural, better quality or tastier than yellow is rather a misconception, although it is difficult to argue about taste: people have a psychological standard, they think that the dish should look tasty, and therefore bright, and then there is the orange yolk wins. But this, of course, does not mean that the yellow yolk is worse. In some cities it is customary to eat eggs with orange yolks, and Moscow is one of them - branded products are more developed here.

The color of the yolk depends only on the composition of the food: to make the yolk orange, elements are added to the food that affect the color. It could be like food additives, and plant-based. For example, carotene in the form of a supplement or carotene in corn and alfalfa. But feeding is a multi-step process. It is clear that there are fundamental ingredients such as wheat and corn, but in addition to these, the birds are fed additives that help the feed digest. There's a whole program there. The food is selected depending on the breed. Nowadays, most of the breeds that are grown in Russia are not Russian in genetic lineage, but American, Dutch, and German. A feed program can consist of 30-40 elements, and the result will depend on whether the poultry farm adheres to the program or not. By the way, the food affects not only the color of the yolk, but also its consistency - it can be more crumbly or more rubbery.

The color of the yolk has nothing to do with the quality of the food, unless the yolk is completely pale - then there was definitely something wrong with the food. And there are a lot of color options, and if it is closer to yellow than to orange, this does not mean that the chicken was fed poorly, just that the food was different. Also, if you buy an egg with an orange yolk, there is no guarantee that the chicken was fed the right supplements and not chemicals. Therefore, it is impossible to judge unambiguously here. If bright yolk color were an indicator of quality, then all manufacturers would strive to achieve a color close to red.

The category of eggs is determined by the weight of the egg itself, and not by quality or anything else. How bigger egg, the higher the category. An egg of the first category, for example, can weigh on average from 55 to 65 grams, and a third - from 35 to 45 grams. There are also selected eggs and eggs highest category- they are even larger. But the size of the eggs, again, depends not on the quality, not on the feed, but on the age of the chicken. The older the chicken, the more likely it is larger egg. Therefore, one can argue that eggs of the “select or superior” category are better. Think for yourself what could be more useful: a product from young body or from an adult?

Feed is one of the main components of the cost - about 60–70% of the price; the rest is production costs, that is, poultry houses, lines, electricity and so on. Orange yolks are more expensive due to the feed, so the price for such eggs is higher. In addition, there is a marketing factor here: people have the impression that eggs with an orange yolk are of better quality.

The color of the shell has no connection with the color of the yolk or the quality of the eggs, because it depends on the color of the chicken: a dark chicken has dark-shelled eggs, a white chicken has white eggs.

Illustration: Olya Volk