Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) Improves Carotenoid Content in Eggs When Fed to Laying Hens

Abstract

Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is a shrub with leaves that have a high concentration of carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin. Egg yolks are a bioavailable source of lutein and zeaxanthin. The consumption of these carotenoids has been linked with improved human health. To investigate the impact of dried stevia leaves at 0%, 1% and 3% on the quality variables, the chemical composition and antioxidant content of eggs, the experiment involved 90 Hy-Line Brown laying hens, housed in 30 enriched layer cages, in groups of three from 22 to 26 weeks of age. The impact on the internal qualities of stored eggs was also examined. Yolks from hens fed stevia had an enriched color compared with the controls. At the end of the experiment, the whole egg, without shell, of birds fed 2% stevia had a higher total carotenoid content (p < 0.001) compared with birds fed 1% and 0% stevia, i.e., 5.16 (µg/g), 4.23 (µg/g) and 2.96 (µg/g), respectively. Storage reduced albumen height and increased albumen pH (p < 0.001). Stevia supplementation did not interact (p > 0.05) with storage time among the egg quality variables. Consuming eggs from hens fed stevia may increase carotenoids in human diet.

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

“…Moreover, internal quality parameters in terms of the albumen index, yolk index, and Haugh unit remain constant for all experimental diets. The findings are consistent with results described in previous studies (de Souza et al, 2019 ; Panaite et al, 2021 ; Pirgozliev et al, 2022 ). According to previous authors (de Souza et al, 2019 ; Olgun et al, 2022 ), albumen’s protein levels depend on the albumen’s protein content, which is determined by the feed intake.…”

“…In the current experiment, dietary treatments with PCP did not negatively affect quail development and egg production, making PCP a viable option to use as quails feed. Similar findings on these parameters have been reported when natural sources of carotenoids were added to the hens (de Souza et al, 2019 ; Maia et al, 2022 ; Pirgozliev et al, 2022 ; Yunitasari et al, 2022 ) and broiler (Wang et al, 2017 ; Csernus et al, 2020 ) diets. According to a previously published study (Pérez-Gálvez et al, 2020 ), carotenoids are an important source of bioactive compounds that play an important role in preventing certain diseases.…”

“…According to the meta-analysis carried out by Yunitasari et al ( 2022 ), the effect of natural sources of carotenoids on these parameters is uncertain. Pirgozliev et al ( 2022 ) described that supplementation with stevia in hens’ diet not affected eggshell weight or eggshell thickness. Similarly, Panaite et al ( 2021 ) showed that dietary supplementation with different natural sources of carotenoids (linseed, kapia pepper, sea buckthorn pomace, and carrot) did not affect the egg weight, eggshell weight, and eggshell-breaking strength.…”

“…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 ).…”

Biofortificatin of hen eggs with natural and synthetic apo-ester and canthanxanthin and its physiochemical evaluation for quality parameters

“…The lack of carotenoids, the precursors of and vitamin A deficiency and health issues can be addressed through nutritional intervention strategies. Biofortification of hen eggs with vitamin A precursors such as carotenoids can be a suitable strategy to address the complication of vitamin A deficiencies because egg yolks are a bioavailable source of lutein and zeaxanthin (Pirgozliev et al, 2022). This study was plan to biofortify hen eggs with natural and synthetic carotenoids and evaluated for the egg quality parameters.…”