Commercial Corn Hybrids as a Single Source of Dietary Carotenoids: Effect on Egg Yolk Carotenoid Profile and Pigmentation

Commercial high-yielding corn hybrids have not been evaluated for their ability to pigment egg yolk. Therefore, the objective of this research was to investigate the effects of commercial hybrids with different carotenoid profiles as the only source of pigments in the diets of hens on yolk color and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability 2021-11, Vol.13 (21), p.12287
Main Authors: Kljak, Kristina, Duvnjak, Marija, Bedeković, Dalibor, Kiš, Goran, Janječić, Zlatko, Grbeša, Darko
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural economics
Animals
Carotene
Carotenoids
Color
Consumers
Corn
Deposition
Diet
Efficiency
Egg industry
Egg production
Eggs
Experiments
Hybrids
Lutein
Nutrition
Pigmentation
Pigments
Vegetables
Yolk
Zeaxanthin
β-Carotene
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Summary:Commercial high-yielding corn hybrids have not been evaluated for their ability to pigment egg yolk. Therefore, the objective of this research was to investigate the effects of commercial hybrids with different carotenoid profiles as the only source of pigments in the diets of hens on yolk color and carotenoid content, as well as the carotenoid deposition efficiency into the yolk. Treatment diets, differing only in one of five corn hybrids, were offered in a completely randomized design in six cages per treatment, each with three hens. Treatment diets and yolks differed in carotenoid profile (contents of lutein, zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin and β-carotene, p < 0.001), with total carotenoid contents ranging from 17.13–13.45 µg/g in diet and 25.99–21.97 µg/g in yolk. The treatments differed (p < 0.001) in yolk color, which was determined by yolk color fan (10.8–9.83) and CIE Lab (redness; range 12.47–10.05). The highest yolk color intensity was achieved by a diet with the highest content of zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin and β-carotene. The deposition efficiency of lutein and zeaxanthin (25.52 and 26.05%, respectively) was higher than that of β-cryptoxanthin and β-carotene (8.30 and 5.65%, respectively), and the deposition efficiency of all carotenoids decreased with increasing dietary content. Commercial corn hybrids provided adequate yolk color and could be the only source of carotenoids in the diets of hens, which could reduce the cost of egg production and increase farmers’ income.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su132112287