Defining Egg Quality
The interactions between nutrition and egg quality are indeed part of an on-going project with which I am heavily involved. However, what we mean by ‘egg quality’ is perhaps best described as a shifting target, depending of course on local market preferences!
Here’s my list:
1. Size
This has to do mostly about weight and less about shape, although abnormally shaped eggs have limited commercial value.
2. Shell
First appearances do count: the color, texture, strength, and cleanness of an egg are important factors affecting consumer buying decisions.
3. Interior
Once you break an egg, the color and size of yolk are of immediate concern. Of course, any off-smells are also quickly noticed. Blood spots and other abnormalities are of equal concern.
Here we will not include freshness and how it affects egg quality as this is an issue having to do with “post-harvest” management and not with layer nutrition.
So, what else is important in your own markets when it comes to egg quality?
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