Stages in the development of the outer layer of the vitelline membrane of a hen's egg have been observed in an egg found in the infundibulum of a sacrificed White Leghorn hen. Tissue from the infundibulum and the underlying egg yolk material was taken at increasing distances from the upper end of the egg and the relationship between the secretory cells of the infundibulum and the vitelline mem-brane observed. The structure of the vitelline membrane in ova just liberated from the ovary and not yet in the oviduct and that of the vitelline membrane in new-laid eggs from other White Leghorn hens were observed for comparison.
SummaryTwo storage disorders, "pink white" and "pasty yolk" are known to develop in eggs from hens with cyclopropene fatty acids (e.g. malvalic and sterculic acid) in their diet. The pink white condition is related to increased diffusion processes in the egg during storage. The pasty yolk condition is related to an increase in the proportion of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids in the yolk. The change in texture becomes evident during storage at normal temperature, but can be induced quickly in any affected egg, even when new-laid, by low temperature. The present investigations were carried out to see if the development of these defects could be related to any structural differences detectable in eggs from hens fed a cyclopropene compound.Eggs from White Leghorn hens, fed 14 mg methyl sterculate/kg body weight/day, were examined, when new-laid and after storage at 0 and 20°0 for periods up to 70 and 50 days respectively, and compared with those from hens fed a . normal diet. The optical and electron microscope observations concentrated on the vitelline membrane and the yolk from these eggs. No marked structural changes were observed in the vitelline membrane to account for the increased diffusion from the albumen and the yolk. This observation supports existing opinion that normal diffusion in the egg is controlled by the physico· chemical organization of the yolk rather than by resolvable structures in the egg. It is likely that these barriers to diffusion are altered when cyclopropene fatty acids are included in the diet. No consistent structural changes which could be related to the occurrence of the pasty condition were observed in the yolk of affected eggs.
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