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

Abstract

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.

The use of purple carrot powder in the diet of laying quails improved some egg quality characteristics, including antioxidant capacity

“…Egg yolks contain a high-fat content, making them vulnerable to lipid oxidation (Pirgozliev et al, 2022 ), which causes the deterioration of the product and decreases storage time (Wang et al, 2017 ). However, hens can deposit antioxidants into their yolks as a result of their diet, which may protect lipids when eggs are stored (Kljak et al, 2021b ). In the current research, increasing PCP content in the quails’ diet led to improved yolk antioxidant capacity, which is confirmed by the reduction in TBARS value and the rise in DPPH value.…”

“…The sensory and nutritional quality of eggs are increasingly a concern to consumers, and attributes such as yolk color are important to purchase criteria (Panaite et al, 2021 ). In this manner, nutrition can play an important role to modify poultry diet composition (Gül et al, 2022 ; El-Sabrout et al, 2023 ) and, in particular, the use of carotenoids in the diet has been a popular practice to modify that (Díaz-Gómez et al, 2017 ; Kljak et al, 2021a , b ; Panaite et al, 2021 ; Maia et al 2022 ; Meléndez-Martínez et al, 2022 ). Carotenoids are isoprenoid-based molecules distributed in all photosynthetic organisms (Pérez-Gálvez et al, 2020 ) widely known for the pigmenting action of their xanthophylls, antioxidants, and pro-vitamin A (de Souza et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Carotenoids are isoprenoid-based molecules distributed in all photosynthetic organisms (Pérez-Gálvez et al, 2020 ) widely known for the pigmenting action of their xanthophylls, antioxidants, and pro-vitamin A (de Souza et al, 2019 ). For many years, carotenoids have been widely used as pigments in poultry diets to modify egg yolk color (Hammershøj et al, 2010 ), and these changes depend on the concentration, source, and ratio of carotenoids (Kljak et al, 2021b ). The importance of carotenoids is not limited to changes in egg or meat quality, supplementing poultry with dietary carotenoids may enhance productive performance and avian health (Langi et al, 2018 ).…”

“…Only those feeds high in synthetic carotenoids, which are needed for the pigmentation of animal products, have been thoroughly evaluated (Meléndez-Martínez et al, 2022 ). Even though a wide number of synthetic pigments are available on the market, consumers are becoming more concerned about the consumption of synthetic additives in food and feed and their impact on health, which has led to an increasing interest in natural alternatives (Hammershøj et al, 2010 ; Langi et al, 2018 ; Kljak et al, 2021a , b ; Meléndez-Martínez et al, 2022 ). In addition, the use of synthetic additives leads to an increase in the overall cost of egg production and adversely affects the environmental footprint of animal feed production.…”

“…In addition, the use of synthetic additives leads to an increase in the overall cost of egg production and adversely affects the environmental footprint of animal feed production. For these reasons, many researchers have focused their efforts on identifying the presence of carotenoids in vegetables (Hammershøj et al, 2010 ; Langi et al, 2018 ; Kljak et al, 2021a , b ; Meléndez-Martínez et al, 2022 ).…”