Biofortification of Chicken Eggs with Vitamin K—Nutritional and Quality Improvements

Abstract

National nutrition surveys have shown that over half of all adults in Ireland, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States of America (USA) have low vitamin K intakes. Thus, dietary strategies to improve vitamin K intakes are needed, and vitamin K biofortification of food may be one food-based approach. The primary aim of our study was to establish whether increasing the vitamin K3 content of hen feed can increase the vitamin K content of eggs, and the secondary aims were to examine the effects on hen performance parameters, as well as egg and eggshell quality parameters. A 12 week hen feeding trial was conducted in which Hyline chickens were randomized into four treatment groups (n = 32/group) and fed diets containing vitamin K3 (as menadione nicotinamide bisulfite) at 3 (control), 12.9, 23.7, and 45.7 mg/kg feed. Vitamin K1, menaquinone (MK)-4, MK-7, and MK-9 were measured in raw whole eggs via a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method. MK-4 was the most abundant form of vitamin K (91–98%) found in all eggs. Increasing the vitamin K3 content of hen feed over the control level significantly (p < 0.001) enhanced the MK-4 content of eggs (mean range: 46–51 µg/100 g, representing ~42–56% of US Adequate Intake values). Vitamin K biofortification also led to significant (p < 0.05) increases in the yellowness of egg yolk and in eggshell weight and thickness, but no other changes in egg quality or hen performance parameters. In conclusion, high-quality vitamin K-biofortified eggs can be produced with at least double the total vitamin K content compared to that in commercially available eggs.

Effects of dietary vitamin K3 supplementation on vitamin K1 and K2 (menaquinone) dynamics in dairy cows

“…In Japan, VK3 has been prohibited to use for the treatment of the vitamin K-deficient bleeding in human because of its high chemical reactivity which causes various side effects such as jaundice and so on. In rodents and domestic animals, however, VK3 is useful feed ingredient; for example, in chickens, it has been reported that VK3 feeding has a great advantage for the tissues' and eggs' MK-4 enrichment which benefits not only animals health condition but also egg quality (O'Sullivan et al, 2020). However, these findings are limited to monogastric animals.…”

Effects of dietary vitamin K3 supplementation on production performance, egg quality, vitamin K-dependent proteins, and antioxidant properties in breeding geese during the laying period

“…The appropriate shell thickness can reduce breakage and prevent embryonic mortality by avoiding excessive water loss from the eggs, acute heat stress, and microbial invasion during incubation ( Xie et al, 2014 ). In addition, the shell thickness of eggs laid by hens fed the diet with VK3 is significantly greater than that by hens fed the diet without VK3 ( O'Sullivan et al, 2020 ). Similarly, our study found that dietary VK3 supplementation increased albumen height, shell thickness and Haugh unit in goose eggs.…”

Exploring Novel Vitamin K Derivatives with Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Activity

“…Yield: 18%; yellow oil; 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 , 400 MHz): δ 1.49(s, 3H, CH�CCH 3 ), 1.80 (s, 3H, CH�CCH 3 ), 2.04(q, 2H, J = 7.2 Hz, CH 2 CH 2 ), 2.12(q, 2H, J = 7. 4 (12). Compound 12 was prepared by a similar procedure to that in the case of 4 but with compound 34 instead of compound 26 as a reactant.…”

“…Vitamin K 3 is converted to menaquinone-4 in the tissues of birds and mammals and widely used as a vitamin K additive in animal feed (Figure 1). 12 Recently, vitamin K 3 (menadione: MD) was found to inhibit the 3-chymotrypsin-like (3CL) protease of SARS-CoV-2, thereby inhibiting viral replication. 13 We predicted that vitamin K derivatives, such as vitamins K 1 and K 2 , might also exhibit anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity.…”

“…Vitamin K 3 is converted to menaquinone-4 in the tissues of birds and mammals and widely used as a vitamin K additive in animal feed (Figure ). …”