Most of us enjoy eating eggs. You can prepare them in different ways and they’re healthy as well. At least … most of the time. But not all eggs look the same; some eggs have dark orange yolks while other eggs have yolks that are much lighter of colour. We wondered what this could mean – does the colour of the yolk say anything about the chicken or about the nutritional value of the egg?
People have said that the colour and shape of the yolk of an egg can tell you something about the health of the chicken that lay it. The general idea is that the darker, firmer and rounder the yolk is, the happier the chicken in question. It’s supposed to be a sign that this chicken had a lot of freedom to walk around and also had a rich and varied diet. On the other hand, a lighter egg yolk is said to indicate an unhealthy life for the chicken. This information was long presumed to be the truth, but it turns out it isn’t true at all! But that leaves the question: what causes the difference in colour for egg yolks and what does it mean?
Food - The one thing we know to be true right now is that egg yolks come in different colours; they can range from dark orange to light yellow. But what does this mean?! Apparently, it doesn’t say anything about the chicken’s health or lifestyle, or about how healthy the yolk is for the person who eats it. All it tells you is what the chicken has been eating before it lay the egg. If the food the chicken ate contained a lot of wheat, the yolk will be yellow. However, if the chicken had a more balanced diet with corn and alfalfa, for example, the yolk will be darker of colour. This is due to the carotene in the corn and alfalfa.
Consequences - All of this has no impact whatsoever on the nutritional value or the taste of the egg. Egg yolks contain vitamins A, D, E and K regardless of their colour and they all taste the same. Plus, while we prefer to buy organic eggs instead of eggs laid by chickens that are kept in close captivity, the truth is that the living conditions of the chicken have no influence on how healthy the egg is.
