My eggs don’t just have a blood spot but are all bloody inside, why? Do processors not use electronic candlers?

Dr. Bédécarrats: “Blood spots are the result of small blood vessels rupturing during the formation of the yolk and or blood leakage during ovulation that becomes part of the egg. The eggs on your table are normally not fertile, so blood spots do not correspond to early embryo development. Yes, eggs are checked with a variety of new equipment at the grading station, but this is mostly to check for cracks and defects. Note that the procedure of “candling” is when eggs are held above a light in a dark room. The light penetrates the egg and makes it possible to observe the inside of the egg. Candling is actually used to check embryo development in fertilized eggs, which is not necessary for eggs designed for consumption.”

Why do I crack open my eggs and find so many double yolks? Are farmers feeding their hens hormones?

Dr. Bédécarrats: “It is important to understand that no hormones are used in poultry production as genetic selection and improved nutrition are sufficient to increase production to meet consumer demand.

“Chickens, like most birds, have only one functional ovary and the growing yolks are organized in a hierarchal manner in the chicken, with the biggest one first. High producing birds lay an egg every day in a timely manner, and sometimes instead of having one single growing yolk, there may be two in the ovulation process. When this double ovulation occurs, both yolks end up in the egg. All the eggs on your table go through a grading station that checks for integrity, weight, size and shape. They are then organized in small, large and extra-large categories (double yolks will likely be in the extra-large group). Often the double yolks are sent to the “breakers market” for commercial use in bakeries or producing products such as mayonnaise.”

How is yolk colour determined? Are organic eggs darker or lighter in colour? Are free-range eggs darker or lighter?

Dr. Bédécarrats: “The colour of the yolk has nothing to do with them being produced organically, conventionally, or the chickens’ genetics – it is only dependant on the nutrition of the laying hen. The colouration is the result of pigments naturally found in feed that are accumulated in yolks and can be adjusted to accommodate for the consumer preferences of a specific market. For example, in North America a paler yolk is preferred compared to some Asian countries who prefer an orange coloured yolk. A diet based on wheat will give a lighter coloration while corn-based diets gives a slightly darker colour. If plant pigments such as carotenoids (which give carrots their orange colour) are part of the diet the egg yolk will become darker. When outdoor free-range chickens supplement their diets with foraged plants and insects, it could change the amount and type of pigment ingested.”

Here is a guide to differences between conventional, organic, free-range and cage-free eggs.

Why are my eggs runny when I crack them?

Dr. Bédécarrats:  “Although most laying hens have an unchanging egg white consistency, sickness and the age of the bird can impact the integrity of the egg. Commonly, the main factors of a watery egg white are the age and storage of the egg itself. An older egg, insufficient humidity or a high storage temperature can result in more watery eggs.”

Eggs are a natural food and variations occur because of differences in hens, their age or diet.  May is National Egg Month, so it’s a good time to crack one open. Vote in the poll for your favourite way to enjoy eggs!

The post Why Do Eggs Have Double Yolks or Other Variations? appeared first on Best Food Facts.

Is it true? Is eating eggs just as bad for your arteries as smoking?

Dr. Fernandez:

“There are some flaws in this study that lead me to conclude it is not true. When looking at this study, we need to consider the methodology. First of all, the subjects under study were already sick and came to the clinic with high blood pressure, hyperlipidemias and excess body weight. This is also a cross-sectional study, thus it is not possible to reach a causal conclusion.

“Secondly, the authors use a strange way to express consumption of eggs – egg years. It is not surprising that the individuals with more egg years (older) had higher plaque area. So a big problem with the study is that they did not control their data with age, which as we all know is highly associated with heart disease and high lipid levels.

“Next, the authors did not use a standardized dietary questionnaire. They only asked for egg intake (a biased question) and smoking. They did not control for other dietary items. There are many dietary variables that lead to heart disease  (saturated fat, high sugar intake, less consumption of fruits and vegetables). It is an unreliable study if only eggs are part of the analysis.

“Finally, this study did not include data of 57 percent of patients coming to the clinic, which may also introduce a bias. It is also strange that the study found higher total cholesterol is associated with less plaque. Looking at all of the information in this study, the conclusions are really overstated based on the data.”

Is it OK to eat eggs?

Dr. Fernandez:

“Eggs possess many nutritional attributes including high quality protein, essential vitamins and minerals. At the same time, they do not increase the risk for cardiovascular disease [1]. The lack of correlation between egg intake and coronary heart disease risk is not surprising given several facts:

• Egg intake consistently results in elevations of HDL cholesterol even under specific circumstances such as weight loss, where LDL cholesterol is not raised [2],[3]. Thus the LDL/HDL, a key marker of coronary heart disease risk, is maintained or even reduced.
• Eggs contain lutein, a carotenoid that is selectively removed by the eye and protects against macular degeneration and the development of cataracts [4]. It has also been shown that lutein from eggs is much more bioavailable than from other dietary sources [5]. Further, it has been shown that lutein also protects against oxidative stress [6], inflammation [7] and atherosclerosis [8].
• Eggs are a good source of choline, which plays a major role in normal fetal development [9],[10] and may also protect against Alzheimer’s disease [11].
• Eggs have been shown to suppress appetite [12] and decrease caloric intake during the next 24 hours [13].
• Eggs are an affordable source of high quality protein as recently stated by a comprehensive report on nutrient-dense foods [14].
• Lastly, less consumption of eggs has been correlated with the development of certain types of malnutrition [15] in underdeveloped countries [16]. The European Union and countries such as India, South Korea, Canada, New Zealand and others [17] have no dietary guidelines for dietary cholesterol. However, these countries do have clear and well-defined guidelines regarding total fat, saturated fat and trans fatty acids. Therefore, there is a worldwide consensus regarding saturated fat, while clearly that is not the case for dietary cholesterol.

“Eggs should not be eliminated from the diet because they not only provide a substantial amount of nutrients but they also have health benefits that go beyond nutrition.”

_REFERENCES

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