Well Fed Chickens
So, different colored yolks must mean something, right? They do, indeed, but it has nothing to do with the nutritional value it seems. It’s just the Pantone guideline for what the chicken was eating before laying the aforementioned eggs! Depending on its diet, it’s perfectly normal for hens to lay eggs that produce either light yellow or dark, almost orange-colored yolks. If the feed contains more carotene, the yolk will appear darker. Japan is recognized for its preference for rich, tangerine-colored egg yolks, for example. Corn produces a lighter yellow color while feeding rice to chickens makes for a very pale yolk.
The Conclusion
It all boils down to the fact that there’s no mystical reasoning behind egg yolk colors. The egg still has the same nutritional profile and vitamin content. There might be subtle differences in taste, but overall each egg retains the same protein-rich and energy-dense characteristics of a great cooking ingredient. If you care about animal welfare and where your eggs come from, consider buying free-range. Maybe even experiment if the yolk color is different from there – why not?
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