Color of egg yolks from different egg producers?

Chuckled wrote: ↑Has anyone noticed that the egg yolks will differ from different producers? I've noticed that the Everyday Market brand of eggs (SDM's brand) have a very milky white color to them, whereas the brands sold elsewhere are generally more robust and darker. Burnbrae farms and Great Value (Walmart) produce exceptionally good egg yolks, with a very rich taste and color -- great for homemade eggnog. Nothing beats the price of SDM's eggs atm ($1.50/dozen) but they're so paltry, it's almost not even worth it to buy them. Blended and scrambled, they're okay but otherwise they're terrible! When I drink them raw, blended they have the same thickness as 1% milk.

What are your experiences when it comes to eggs and their yolks?

Chuck

IIRC, the colour varies by region as well...apparently in the prairies the yolk is paler since the chickens are fed more wheat vs corn or something like that.
I dont think it means very much.

I was a little freaked out by the eggs I recently bought... they were very orange.

At first I thought they were bad, but I googled it and it confirms stealth's point.

If you buy eggs straight from the farm or farmers marked and the chickens are free range, you get a very yellow/orangy yolk that is mostly because they eat more greenery like grass, lettuce, or any veggy.
The eggs from a store are usually very pale cause those chickens are basically sitting in an egg factory.those poor chickens just sit in a cage being fed just grain and no other nutriens or lack there of.

one of CBC's shows did an episode about eggs, when omega-3 and organics eggs were all the craze, i guess it still is for some people, a few years back.
what they found was that there was no difference in nutritional values between 'average' eggs and the 'premium' 'eggs.

there was a premium egg trend in korea a few years back. depending on what feed the chickens ate, companies were charging more money for them.
an exposé was done by an investigative tv show and their findings were basically same as CBC's. there is no difference in nutritional values between 'factory' eggs, free range, organic, and other fancy types of eggs. there was one brand that fed ginseng to chickens, which was a total scam as it was found that chickens were indeed fed ginseng, but only the ginseng by-products left over from making other ginseng products, and it only consisted of 0.1% of their total feed intake.

and colour of yolk was found to have no effect on nutritional values either. as pointed out by others already, it is entirely dependent on the feed. people tend to think that deeper coloured yolk is nutritious so some farms intentionally give the lot the feed that yields deeper colours.

if anyone really thinks that they can tell the difference between different eggs, you should really do a blind test to see if you aren't just fooling yourself.

if you think that you got a 'watery' egg, it's possible that the batch simply wasn't very fresh. fresh eggs will have a clearer whites and the yolk is firm and doesn't look flattened out.

joeyjoejoe wrote: ↑I was a little freaked out by the eggs I recently bought... they were very orange.

At first I thought they were bad, but I googled it and it confirms stealth's point.

Yes, it may come as a surprise when you first encounter those richly tinted orange yolks... The differences are not in perception alone, the darker the pigment of the yolk, the higher it is in carotenoids and other vitamins and minerals. The darker the yolk, the better the taste, imo. Normally, you'll only get a few of a dozen eggs being richly colored, but the rest are all milky white. Sometimes I'll toss the milky white ones to my dog, grab another one for myself.

ippon wrote: ↑one of CBC's shows did an episode about eggs, when omega-3 and organics eggs were all the craze, i guess it still is for some people, a few years back.
what they found was that there was no difference in nutritional values between 'average' eggs and the 'premium' 'eggs.

I would consider this to be the case when comparing supermarket eggs, sure, but not when it comes to free-range eggs that you purchase from a farmer who allows his chickens to graze on grasses, insects and other things that provide micronutrients.

there was a premium egg trend in korea a few years back. depending on what feed the chickens ate, companies were charging more money for them.
an exposé was done by an investigative tv show and their findings were basically same as CBC's. there is no difference in nutritional values between 'factory' eggs, free range, organic, and other fancy types of eggs. there was one brand that fed ginseng to chickens, which was a total scam as it was found that chickens were indeed fed ginseng, but only the ginseng by-products left over from making other ginseng products, and it only consisted of 0.1% of their total feed intake.

I think the reason why there is little discrepancy between the nutritional values of eggs is because a mother will always bend over backwards to provide for her offspring. Whatever the bare minimum of nutrients provided to her offspring will be trickled down to the developing egg, and so it will at least be given a fighting chance at the start of life. I swear, some of these hens must be fed such paltry nutrition, because I've noticed that their egg shells are really opaque -- when put in a light source, the shell becomes translucent. I don't think such a shell would provide much protection in nature from predators and even a slight variance in environmental conditions.

Yeah, and I think it's BS when they incorporate flax into the diets of chickens to boost their omega-3 content. The omega-3s in flax are the vastly inferior ALA omega-3 fatty acid. Although ALA can be absorbed by humans, it is more readily obtainable by the other omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, epa & dha.

and colour of yolk was found to have no effect on nutritional values either. as pointed out by others already, it is entirely dependent on the feed. people tend to think that deeper coloured yolk is nutritious so some farms intentionally give the lot the feed that yields deeper colours.

I somewhat doubt the authenticity of this... more often than not, those snotty white egg yolks taste like milk, whereas the richly pigmented darker orange ones have a more robust flavor. I know my taste-buds may not be a good arbiter of nutritional values, but the taste alone is reviling... something's up there!

if anyone really thinks that they can tell the difference between different eggs, you should really do a blind test to see if you aren't just fooling yourself.

I'll take you up on that challenge and encourage you to do the same. Buy some SDM Everyday Market eggs, then buy some burnbrae eggs at zellers or canadian tire. You'll notice a difference, trust me!

if you think that you got a 'watery' egg, it's possible that the batch simply wasn't very fresh. fresh eggs will have a clearer whites and the yolk is firm and doesn't look flattened out.

SDM has an extremely high turnover for eggs so I doubt it's a matter of freshness. It's something in the feed, I tell ya!

Chuckled wrote: ↑I would consider this to be the case when comparing supermarket eggs, sure, but not when it comes to free-range eggs that you purchase from a farmer who allows his chickens to graze on grasses, insects and other things that provide micronutrients.

I think the reason why there is little discrepancy between the nutritional values of eggs is because a mother will always bend over backwards to provide for her offspring. Whatever the bare minimum of nutrients provided to her offspring will be trickled down to the developing egg, and so it will at least be given a fighting chance at the start of life. I swear, some of these hens must be fed such paltry nutrition, because I've noticed that their egg shells are really opaque -- when put in a light source, the shell becomes translucent. I don't think such a shell would provide much protection in nature from predators and even a slight variance in environmental conditions.

Yeah, and I think it's BS when they incorporate flax into the diets of chickens to boost their omega-3 content. The omega-3s in flax are the vastly inferior ALA omega-3 fatty acid. Although ALA can be absorbed by humans, it is more readily obtainable by the other omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, epa & dha.

I somewhat doubt the authenticity of this... more often than not, those snotty white egg yolks taste like milk, whereas the richly pigmented darker orange ones have a more robust flavor. I know my taste-buds may not be a good arbiter of nutritional values, but the taste alone is reviling... something's up there!

I'll take you up on that challenge and encourage you to do the same. Buy some SDM Everyday Market eggs, then buy some burnbrae eggs at zellers or canadian tire. You'll notice a difference, trust me!

SDM has an extremely high turnover for eggs so I doubt it's a matter of freshness. It's something in the feed, I tell ya!

i'm quite certain that the micronutrients are supplied in the feed fed to livestock. it's not exactly in the best interest of the farmer to malnourish the animals. being free range doesn't guaranntee that the animal will be well-nourished.

and the shell quality greatly depends on the breed of the chicken. some breeds lay a lot more eggs than others, even that will differ depending on each animal, and ones that lay more eggs won't lay 'sturdier' eggs than ones that don't lay eggs as often, and even that will differ depending on each egg.

you have to understand that the chicken is a DOMESTICATED animal. it doesn't quite occur in nature. we've tampered with nature, and produced the current generations of 'super chickens' that lay prodigious amount of eggs. some of the 'natural' characteristics birds don't apply to them.

and about SDM eggs having a high turn over,,, it doesn't matter how high the turn over is. you can still get eggs that aren't fresh. they don't have chicken coops right next to the staff change room. the eggs are transported from the factory, and there could be logistic issues that will affect how fresh the product is by the time it arrives to the stores.

there are so many people who are convinced that brown eggs taste better as well..... we will believe anything, if we let ourselves believe it.

ippon wrote: ↑i'm quite certain that the micronutrients are supplied in the feed fed to livestock. it's not exactly in the best interest of the farmer to malnourish the animals. being free range doesn't guaranntee that the animal will be well-nourished.

It's been proven time and again that vitamins and minerals -- no matter the quantity, the quality -- aren't as beneficial as from food. In fact, supplementing your diet with vitamins, minerals and other supplements can do the opposite and impose more harm than good!

and the shell quality greatly depends on the breed of the chicken. some breeds lay a lot more eggs than others, even that will differ depending on each animal, and ones that lay more eggs won't lay 'sturdier' eggs than ones that don't lay eggs as often, and even that will differ depending on each egg.

I don't know... it just seems like these eggs would not stand the forces of nature. I know that we're talking domesticated chickens here and their circumstances are far from nature here, but they're quite meak. I cannot see some of these eggs stand the fortnight of a stormy day, let alone a full month of hazardous conditions. I remember reading awhile back about studies showing that when vegetables and fruits face more perils, their levels of antioxidants and defensive mechanisms are boosted, giving them (and subsequently, us) more nutrients for the taking. Maybe the conditions that these chickens are raised in do not produce such a bolus of nutrients.

you have to understand that the chicken is a DOMESTICATED animal. it doesn't quite occur in nature. we've tampered with nature, and produced the current generations of 'super chickens' that lay prodigious amount of eggs. some of the 'natural' characteristics birds don't apply to them.

Yeah, never buy a "mature chicken" from a supermarket. These are the most polluted, filthy animals there ever were. They're the very last stage of the egg-laying chicken... filled with antibiotics, hormones and all other detritus, they are then sold for food.

and about SDM eggs having a high turn over,,, it doesn't matter how high the turn over is. you can still get eggs that aren't fresh. they don't have chicken coops right next to the staff change room. the eggs are transported from the factory, and there could be logistic issues that will affect how fresh the product is by the time it arrives to the stores.

I would agree, if it weren't every single dozen eggs I buy from there. I'm describing the consistency of the eggs there, that they are always milky white.


As an aside, do you not think that a mother who is given poor nutrition would likely have poorer offspring as a result of it? Why would it be any different in the case of these hens, who are given poor feed and thus produce poorer product?

there are so many people who are convinced that brown eggs taste better as well..... we will believe anything, if we let ourselves believe it.

I am not one of those people. And I agree.

Chuckled wrote: ↑Has anyone noticed that the egg yolks will differ from different producers? I've noticed that the Everyday Market brand of eggs (SDM's brand) have a very milky white color to them, whereas the brands sold elsewhere are generally more robust and darker. Burnbrae farms and Great Value (Walmart) produce exceptionally good egg yolks, with a very rich taste and color -- great for homemade eggnog. Nothing beats the price of SDM's eggs atm ($1.50/dozen) but they're so paltry, it's almost not even worth it to buy them. Blended and scrambled, they're okay but otherwise they're terrible! When I drink them raw, blended they have the same thickness as 1% milk.

What are your experiences when it comes to eggs and their yolks?

Chuck

LOL....that's funny...because SDM gets their eggs from Burnbrae Farms!! I see the boxes on the floor at my local SDM all the time..and they have Burnbrae Farms on them.

farm fresh have a darker, more orangey coloured yolk. i can taste the difference and i'm willing to pay the premium per dozen

if you're in the Ottawa area i would recommend Bekings eggs (http://www.bekingseggs.com)

Terrorize wrote: ↑LOL....that's funny...because SDM gets their eggs from Burnbrae Farms!! I see the boxes on the floor at my local SDM all the time..and they have Burnbrae Farms on them.

Then, maybe it is a matter of freshness. But that doesn't explain why these yolks are different, perhaps it has to do with different country of origin? I haven't looked at my Everyday Market egg cartons yet, but the Burnbrae Farms' eggs come from the U.S.

EDIT: please post pics. I checked the cartons of my SDM eggs, and they make no mention of Burnbrae Farms being the producer.

monty613 wrote: ↑farm fresh have a darker, more orangey coloured yolk. i can taste the difference and i'm willing to pay the premium per dozen

if you're in the Ottawa area i would recommend Bekings eggs (http://www.bekingseggs.com)

Hi Monty,

Happy to know I'm not the only one who notices, and likes, the differences between the two eggs. I would not be willing to pay a premium, however. I don't believe the nutritional differences warrant the mark up. The most I would be willing to pay is 10% more of the price. What's the price of the Bekings eggs per dozen?

monty613 wrote: ↑farm fresh have a darker, more orangey coloured yolk. i can taste the difference and i'm willing to pay the premium per dozen

if you're in the Ottawa area i would recommend Bekings eggs (http://www.bekingseggs.com)

I usually buy those eggs and if you go to Cedars grocery on bank st you can pay $2.50 for 12 of their smaller eggs and around $3.50 for the larger size eggs.
I just get the smaller ones since I do not eat many eggs.

most of the other stores I shop at they just have the more expensive large size eggs for Beckings.

I think in Quebec at the market I can buy Quail eggs, not sure if they are good or not?

Bookpreviews wrote: ↑I usually buy those eggs and if you go to Cedars grocery on bank st you can pay $2.50 for 12 of their smaller eggs and around $3.50 for the larger size eggs.
I just get the smaller ones since I do not eat many eggs.

most of the other stores I shop at they just have the more expensive large size eggs for Beckings.

I think in Quebec at the market I can buy Quail eggs, not sure if they are good or not?

I love Cedars market, although I do miss the Fresh Fruit Company. I remember when they were going out of business, years back now, I bought everything I could at a discount. They had great specials on local produce at a phenomenal price. Cedar market is reminiscent of that, except that they are a little more trendy and focus less on the fruit and veg, and more on other selections. Very nice store & very nice employees, all very dedicated to their job and happy to assist you in whatever your needs are. I'll have to check into their selection of eggs, for sure.

I love & eat eggs prodigiously -- sometimes I'll eat 10 or more a day. The reason I don't buy premium free-range eggs is because they're too much money out of pocket that can be spent elsewhere. Though, when I'm ever travelling in Quebec and will make a pit-stop, I sometimes will drop in on a local farm and inquire whether or not they have eggs for sale. The great thing about eggs is their portability; boil & bring with you on the go.

Wouldn't hurt to try the quail eggs, then let us know how they are!

I don't really pay much attention, but I'll give the Walmart eggs a try and see if I notice a difference with taste. Where do they sell the Burnbrae's?

neutral wrote: ↑I don't really pay much attention, but I'll give the Walmart eggs a try and see if I notice a difference with taste. Where do they sell the Burnbrae's?

Zellers and Canadian Tire carry Burnbrae Farms' eggs.

Chuckled wrote: ↑Zellers and Canadian Tire carry Burnbrae Farms' eggs.

canadian tire carries eggs?

ippon wrote: ↑canadian tire carries eggs?

Yeah, and surprisingly good ones, too!

Some egg companies are stamping the date on each individual egg.