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Is Egg Yolk Color Important? Here Are Insights from an Expert

Is Egg Yolk Color Important? Here Are Insights from an Expert

Cracking the case. 

A bright, golden yolk can make any egg look irresistible, but there’s more to that vibrant hue than meets the eye. What does yolk color really say about an egg? An egg expert has some surprising insights.

Lisa Steele, cookbook author and backyard chicken expert, told Fox News Digital that the color of an egg yolk is entirely “dependent on the hen’s diet.” 

“Foods that are high in xanthophyll and carotene, which are basically pigments called carotenoids, will make nice dark orange egg yolks,” she added. 

According to Steele, foods rich in carotenoids, like carrots, spinach, kale, and pumpkins, make yolks darker and more orange. While carotenoids are nutritious, the yolk color doesn’t directly reflect the egg’s overall nutritional value. 

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She also revealed that commercial egg producers have learned that consumers associate bright, golden yolks with high quality. As a result, some farms “add things like marigold, paprika, sea kelp, corn [and] alfalfa to ‘artificially’ boost the yolk color,” Steele added.

The egg expert recommended that consumers choose eggs labeled “pasture-raised” or “free-range” for better nutrition, with “pasture-raised” considered the “gold standard.”

Moreover, Steele also debunked the idea that the color of the shell affects the nutritional value of the egg, explaining that it is “purely based on the breed of chicken.”

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