Unprecedented demand and a shortage of eggs has led Tesco to stock more of the rarer white variety. The eggs have been part of the chain's standard egg range since early 2020 and customers are starting to see them more and more.
The reason we see fewer white eggs is due to the ratio of chicken in the UK. It is estimated that of the 40m egg-laying birds in the UK, only about 250,000-300,000 are breeds that lay white eggs.
As the hen ages it is normal for the tapered end of the egg to contain less pigment than the rounded end. Stress-related egg retention in the shell gland and subsequent amorphous calcium carbonate deposition on the shell surface have been identified as a major cause of pale eggs in older hens.
Brown eggs tend to get lighter as the hen gets older, due to the brown pigment. This graduation of coloring is especially apparent for dark-brown layers, such as Marans and Welsummers. Once a brown egg layer molts, you can usually expect a “restart” on her egg coloring.
No. The color of the shell does not affect the nutrient content. There is no nutritional difference between a white and a brown egg. The breed of the hen determines the color of her eggs.
Brown eggs are more expensive than white eggs because it costs more money to feed the chickens that produce the brown eggs. These hen breeds require more energy to lay their eggs and in turn, they will eat more and require larger amounts of food.
The egg yolk contains more nutrients than the white, including calcium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, vitamin B6, folate and vitamin B12.
A cloudy egg white (albumen) is a sign the egg is very fresh. A clear egg white is an indication the egg is aging. Pink or pearly egg white (albumen) indicates spoilage due to Pseudomonas bacteria. Some of these microorganisms -- which produce a greenish, fluorescent, water-soluble pigment -- are harmful to humans.
The only difference between white eggs and brown eggs is the color of the eggshells—and maybe the price. No matter what color an egg's shell is, the egg will taste the same and have the same nutritional benefits.
First, according to a USA Today 10 Best article, the real reason brown eggs are more expensive than white eggs is that it costs more money to feed the chickens that lay brown eggs. These hens require more energy to lay their eggs and therefore eat more. That cost is then passed along to the consumer.
White eggs in the United States are not bleached, contrary to popular internet belief. The color, instead, depends on the kind of chicken that is laying the egg, and it usually corresponds with the color of the chicken's earlobe.
You might notice that most chefs and bakers use brown eggs instead of white. This is most likely because brown eggs tend to be fresher than white as they come from local farms.
Europeans take a different approach. In the United Kingdom, for example, producers instead vaccinate laying hens to prevent the transmission of salmonella. They then rely on a thin, naturally occurring coating called the cuticle, to prevent any contamination from the outside of the shell penetrating to the egg.
Europe takes a different approach to prevent salmonella contamination. Eggs are not washed and therefore are not required to be chilled, since the "priority in egg production is to produce clean eggs at the point of collection, rather than trying to clean them afterwards," according to food-safety officials in Ireland.
The eggshell colour depends on the breed of the hen. Generally speaking, white shell eggs come from hens with white feathers, while brown shell eggs are produced by hens with brown feathers.
As you suspected, the reason Americans eggs tend to have bright yellow yolks has nothing to do with "hormones" but rather with what we feed our hens. Beyer says egg yolk color is almost entirely influenced by the birds' diet. So if you're feeding birds yellow corn, "it gets in the egg," he explains.
Those pigments, called xanthophylls, are also what give chicken skin and fat its yellowish tint. If the chicken happened to eat more white corn than yellow, the yolk will be paler as well. That's all there is to it.
While it is true that eggs are cleaned before being packaged and sent to your grocery store, they are not bleached. In fact, most eggs start out white, but different breeds are genetically coded to release different colored pigments as the egg passes through the hen's oviduct. Voilà! You have different colored eggs.
Hens raised on a vegetarian diet lay eggs with light coloured yolks. Such hens are fed foods like corn, alfalfa, and beans, all of which are rich in a pigment called xanthophylls, which is responsible for giving plants and animals the colour yellow, hence influencing the colour of the yolk.
The shade of an egg yolk is completely determined by the hen's diet. Hens that are given feed full of yellow-orange pigments will lay eggs with darker yolks. It's as simple as that! No artificial coloring is allowed in chicken feed, but some farmers will add marigold petals to give yolks an orangey color boost.
Whether the yolk is a vibrant or pale yellow, or even an orange deep in colour, all of these eggs are fresh and safe to eat.
All eggs start out white in color; those that are laid in shades other than white have pigments deposited on them as the eggs travel through the hen's oviduct.
After chicken breasts and protein shakes, few protein options are more prevalent in a bodybuilding diet than egg whites. That's because egg whites are a nearly pure source of protein, containing almost 100% of their calories from this macro with virtually no fats or carbs.