Effect of Alternative Housing System and Hen Genotype on Egg Quality Characteristics

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of type of alternative housing system and layer genotype on the quality of table eggs. The investigated eggs came from native Greenleg Partridge hens (Z-11) and Rhode Island Red hens (R-11) covered by the gene-pool protection program, as well as from Hy-line Brown commercial hens from litter barn (LS), free range (FR), and organic systems (OS). Eggs for the study were collected from the hens at 56 wk of age. Egg quality assessment was based on the following values egg traits: weight, shape index, yolk, albumen, and shell percentage in the whole egg; eggshell traits: color intensity, weight, thickness, density, breaking strength, physical features of egg content: albumen height, value of Haugh units, yolk color; presence of meat/ blood spots and cholesterol, higher fatty acids, vitamin A and E in egg yolks. In the rearing systems under study, eggs with the highest weight were laid by commercial hens, and the type of alternative rearing system had no significant effect on this trait. Shell colour intensity depends on the breed of hen, whereas the rearing system has no significant effect on this trait. Hen genotype and housing system had an effect on egg shell weight, thickness, and density. The housing system influences the content of MUFA, PUFA, PUFAn-6 and PUFAn-3 as well as PUFA 6/3 in egg yolks. No effect of the housing system on egg yolk cholesterol content was observed.

Sustainability and Quality Aspects of Different Table Egg Production Systems: A Literature Review

“…Experts also point out that there may be significant differences in the feeding used in different types of housing systems, which can greatly affect the quality properties of eggs. The observed differences in experiments [54,55,[63][64][65][66]68,70,72,73,76,81] with different diets could also be traced back to feeding parameters. The research results of [75,82] also support these findings, as they claim that differences/changes in feeding affect egg quality parameters even more directly than housing.…”

Quality traits of retail eggs produced by alternative and cage rearing systems

“…Yumurta kalitesi ile ilgili olarak üretimde kullanılan yetiştirme sistemlerine bağlı olarak üretim aşamasında çiftliklerden elde edilen yumurtalarda ırk, yaş, besleme durumu gibi önemli faktörlerin dış ve iç kalite özelliklerine üzerine etkisinin incelendiği oldukça fazla araştırma bulunmaktadır (1, 9,11,14,20,21,24,26,29). Bununla birlikte, perakende işletmelerde satışa sunulan yumurtalarda, farklı üretim sistemlerine ait yumurtaların yasal gereklilikler çerçevesinde belirtilen kalite özelliklerinin belirlenmesi konusundaki çalışma sayısının bilgimiz dahilinde az olduğu (3, 10), ülkemiz için yeni, büyüyen ve tüketici talebinin giderek arttığı alternatif sistemlerden olan organik ve kümeste üretilen yumurtalarda, konu ile ilgili bir veri bulunmadığı görülmektedir.…”

“…Ayrıca, beyaz yumurtalarda yetiştirme sistemlerinin şekil indeksi üzerine etkisi olmadığı saptanmıştır. Şekil indeksi üzerine yetiştirme sistemlerinin etkisinin olduğunu (10,13,20,21,24,28) ve olmadığını (1, 5, 6, 16) rapor eden araştırmalar bulunmaktadır. Yumurta kabuk kalitesinin belirlenmesinde kabuk ağırlığı, kabuk kalınlığı ve kabuk kırılma direnci değerleri özellikle yumurtaların toplanması, sınıflandırılması, paketlenmesi, depolanması, nakli aşamalarında çatlama ve kırılmalara bağlı olarak oluşabilecek ekonomik kayıpların önlenmesi yönünden endüstride ve pazarlamada önemli göstergelerdir (27).…”

The Effect of Dietary Humic Preparations on the Content of Essential and Non-Essential Chemical Elements in Hen Eggs

“…Hen eggs are an important component of the human diet. Their physico-chemical and biological properties are quite well known, and in recent years their role as a source of nutraceutical and biomedical substances has increased [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. In addition to protein, fats (fatty acids), enzymes and vitamins, egg albumen and yolk also contains minerals (macroelements, microelements, trace elements) [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ].…”