Synthetic pigments as sources of egg yolk pigmentation

Abstract

A comparison was made of the egg yolk pigmentation produced by two comercial products, Carophyll red (10% canthaxantin) and Pigmenting Complex 1131 (streptoxanthin). The colour of ten yolks a day per treatment was determined over an experimental period of 20 days using a Roche Colour Fan and a Hunter Lab Colour & Colour Difference Meter. The results show that pigment deposition first appeared in the yolks of eggs laid on the 5th day of treatment. Both pigmenting sources were significantly different at the 1% level from the control group but there was no difference between them. The correlation between the two methods of measurement was highly significant.