EGG QUALITY AND ORGANOLEPTIC EVALUATION OF NUTRIENT ENRICHED DESIGNER EGGS

An experiment was conducted to evaluate egg quality and organoleptic parameters of nutrient enriched designer eggs. Chicken eggs enriched with different micronutrients ( 300 mg omega-3 fatty acids, 55 μg selenium and 6 mg vitamin E per 100 g) were produced by giving layers a special diet. These eggs were compared with regular eggs obtained from same type and age of birds fed on regular diet for egg quality and sensory attributes. Internal egg quality indicated by albumen height and Haugh units showed non-significant differences. Proportion of different egg components (viz shell yolk and albumen), and egg shell quality were also independent of dietary treatments. Nevertheless, colour of egg yolk revealed significant (P 0.05) difference between enriched and regular eggs. Organoleptic tests of both type of eggs for different sensory attributes demonstrated non-significant results as panelists did not find any considerable differences between regular and nutrient enriched eggs. Based on results obtained it may be concluded that eggs could be enriched with different micronutrients by nutritional manipulations without deteriorating egg internal and sensory qualities.