Abstract
The paper presents the results of an evaluation of the quality of eggs from laying hens kept in caged and free range systems using traditional methods and ultra-weak luminescence (USL). It was found that the tested eggs were fresh and were characterized by the required quality, as demonstrated by analysis of the egg white and egg yolk. Eggs from free-range laying hens were characterized by an eight-fold higher emission of photons compared to eggs from caged hens, and they had over three times higher content of natural antioxidants in the form of carotenoids. Most probably, the higher number of photons emitted is associated with a higher content of biologically active substances in the material under study. Photon emission also varies in different ways depending on the specific hen breeding system. Differences in time in the identified maximum values of photon emission result from the composition of individual parts of the egg. Different times in which the emission peaks occurred for free-range eggs and for caged eggs were observed. The application of the USL method in order to confirm its usefulness in the assessment of food quality requires further research.
Highlights
Poland is a significant producer of consumer eggs in the European Union
The weight of a single egg yolk and egg white sample from each egg, which was placed in a lightproof chamber, was 5 g, whereas, in the case of the eggshell, the whole egg was placed in the lightproof chamber
Marked quality indicators show the freshness of both eggs from caged hens and free range hens
Summary
Poland is a significant producer of consumer eggs in the European Union. The annual output is more than nine billion eggs. There has been a gradual increase in interest in more expensive eggs of free range origin Consumers perceive these eggs as traditional food, because hens have access to a chicken run and a much more varied diet. This type of rearing has a substantial impact on the eggs’ composition. The quality of eggs is a broader concept, and, it is partly shaped by the hen-housing conditions, many other factors affect it These include genetic factors, like breed and line of laying hens (which affects the size and color of the shell, as well as nutritional values [1]), rearing conditions [2], nutrition (feed composition, access to free range), age of laying hens [3] (older hens lay eggs of greater weight, but the quality of their shell is worse [4,5]), and time and storage conditions for eggs [6,7,8]. As the stage of research, the authors of the paper predict egg testing using optical coherence tomography (OCT) [21]
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