Are chicken eggs bleached white?

In this brief guide, we are going to answer, “are chicken eggs bleached white?”. We will also discuss why chicken eggs are white, why brown eggs are overpriced as compared to white eggs, which egg is the healthiest to eat, do all chicken eggs taste the same, are brown eggs organic and why brown eggs have different color shades.

Are chicken eggs bleached white?

No, chicken eggs are not bleached white. All eggs are naturally white inside the chicken. 

However, due to low food safety standards in the USA, eggs have to be sanitized before sending them to market. And the preferred method to do so is bleaching. 

Why are my chicken eggs white?

Your chicken eggs are white because there was no color pigment added in the final stages of egg-shell formation.

An egg’s color depends upon the breed of the chicken laying it. The final color of eggs is determined at the end of the shell making process, depending upon the addition of a color pigment.

Protoporphyrin is the pigment behind the brown color of an egg. But did you notice that the shells of brown eggs are only brown from outside and white from inside? It is because when the shell is forming, protoporphyrin is incorporated in it at a very late stage.

In the case of white eggs, there is no such pigment added because the chicken breed is engineered in a way to skip this step.

A pigment oocyanin is responsible for egg color to be blue, from both inside and outside of the shell. And an egg color is olive green when brown pigment dominates the blue one. 

Why are brown eggs overpriced as compared to white eggs?

To lay brown-shelled eggs, chicken layers have to be fed more, as compared to white-eggs producing layers, to have sufficient nutrients in their body but it doesn’t make brown eggs to be more nutritious.

White or brown? Which egg is the healthiest to eat?

The color of an egg has nothing to do with its nutritional content. All eggs, no matter white, brown, green or blue, share the same nutritional profile. Because the color producing pigment is added at the very last stage when the nutritional part of an egg has already been formed.

Hence, the only difference between a white and brown chicken is just their shell color which has no effect on the composition or quality of an egg.

Some other facts that can affect the nutritional profile of eggs are, the environment of hens as well as the type of feed a hen is given. 

For example, the hens that tend to stroll more in daylight, lay eggs with 3-4 times more Vit D as compared to others. And the chickens fed by an omega-3 fatty acid rich diet lay eggs enriched with these fatty acids.

Other FAQs about Eggs which you may be interested in.

Can dogs eat egg yolk?

Do different colored chicken eggs taste the same?

Taste of all chicken eggs doesn’t necessarily depend upon their color. There are other factors that contribute to the difference in taste. For example, the diet of a chicken, how long an egg is stored and the way it is cooked.

A fat rich diet causes chickens to lay more tasteful eggs as compared to a low-fat diet. Also a chicken raised at home gives eggs with a different taste. 

A fresh egg has a different taste. If eggs are stored for a long time, their flavor tends to change. So, store eggs at a stable temperature to preserve their taste.

Why do brown chicken eggs have different shades of color?

When a brown egg producing chicken gets old, the size of its egg increases but the amount of pigment stays the same that’s why it cannot cover up the whole surface area. And that’s why you get lighter brown shade shells.

Are brown eggs organic?

No, it is a common misbelief that the brown chicken eggs are organic. 

Brown eggs or in fact any egg can be organic if their chicken breed is being raised on an organic, non-GMO food and according to the National Organic Program (NOP) guidelines.

Is there a way to predict the egg’s color of your hen?

Yes, there might be an interesting way (but not accurate) to predict what color of egg your hen will produce, that is by looking at their earlobes.

Yes, chickens have earlobes just like you and me. If your hen has red color earlobes, it means it will produce brown eggs and white earlobes mean the eggs will be white.

There is a chicken breed named Araucana that have blue or pale-green earlobes and they lay the same colored eggs which are as nutritious as any other brown or white egg is.

Conclusion

In this brief guide, we answered, “are chicken eggs bleached white?”. We also discussed why chicken eggs are white, why brown eggs are overpriced as compared to white eggs, which egg is the healthiest to eat, do all chicken eggs taste the same, are brown eggs organic and why brown eggs have different color shades.

References

  1. https://backyardpoultry.iamcountryside.com/eggs-meat/brown-vs-white-eggs/
  2. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/white-vs-brown-eggs 

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