How to make sure your eggs are to dye for
Hens are getting a helping hand to lay eggs with brighter yolks, writes Amanda Cropp.
KIWI consumers are crazy about vividly coloured egg yolks, but Asian customers of an egg exporter prefer a paler version.
The New Zealand Egg Producers Federation confirmed synthetic carotenoid food dyes, or more expensive natural ones made from marigold, turmeric or paprika extracts, were fed to both caged and free-range laying hens.
Federation technical advisor Kerry Mulqueen said many commercial egg farms used them because New Zealanders preferred brighter yellow yolks.
The diet of some free range hens also included the colour additive because they did not eat a lot of grass, he said.
‘‘Some producers do, some don’t, it depends what colour you’re after,’’ said Mulqueen. ‘‘The more you add the brighter it becomes.’’
International feed additive supplier DSM, which has a branch here, said on its website that the use of carotenoids helped egg farms to produce yolks with ‘‘the desired golden hue.’’
DSM scientists spent two years perfecting a 16th yolk colour for its ‘‘yolkfan’’ which had shades from yellow through to an intense orange, and the website said colour preferences varied globally depending on ‘‘geographical location, cultural context and local traditions.’’
A spokesman for the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) said additives had to meet prescribed safety standards and residue limits.
Yolk colour had no effect on egg quality and was purely an issue of consumer preference, MPI said.
High carotenoid foods such as leafy greens and lucerne made them a darker orange, while other feeds could produce a pinker tinge.
Mike Schelkes of organic producer Ecoegg Co does not use any artificial supplements and said the organic maize fed to his hens naturally coloured the yolks yellow.
‘‘Pigmentation is not an issue as long as I don’t switch the protein source to wheat.’’
That fitted with his Asian export market where he said orange was ‘‘off putting’’ to customers who preferred a yellow yolk. He said Kiwis mistakenly believed you could pick a free range egg from one laid by a caged hen based on yolk colour.
The industry was responding to consumer demand ‘‘and that has led to the fact that extra pigments are often added to the feed simply to achieve what the customer is expecting.’’
Manager of Otago University’s Product Development Research Centre Pat Silcock said carotenoids occurred naturally in a lot of vegetables and were commonly used as natural food colours. He likened their use in poultry feed to giving the hens a vitamin pill.
According to the Egg Producers Federation, about 15 per cent of eggs sold were used in the baking and catering industries, and Silcock said consistency of ingredient colour was important for food manufacturers. ‘‘If you’re getting products that range wildly from very intensely coloured to very pale, that’s going to be a problem,’’ he said.
If you’re getting products that range wildly from very intensely coloured to very pale, that’s going to be a problem.’ PAT SILCOCK