What’s The Deal With Orange Egg Yolks?
It’s come to our attention that we’ve started equating orange egg yolks with happier chickens and better taste, but how did we get here? Are yellow yolks out? What do the different colors mean? Well, we’re about to crack the case.
Hungry for more? Whether you’re into poached, hard boiled or fried, our Egg Tools Collection has everything you need to get your day started sunny-side up!
WHY ARE SOME EGG YOLKS ORANGE?
The color of an egg yolk is determined by the diet of the hen that laid it. Hens that consume a diet rich in carotenoids (found in plants like marigold and alfalfa) tend to produce eggs with deeper orange yolks. These pigments are absorbed by the hen’s body and deposited into the egg yolk during the egg-laying process.
The more carotenoids a chicken eats, the more orange the egg yolk. Carotenoids are also unsurprisingly found in a lot of orange produce like carrots, pumpkins and sweet potatoes.
Orange yolks may indicate that a hen has been raised free-range, grazing in grassy areas with access to grass and foods like alfalfa and marigold that have more carotenoids in them. But it’s not hard for farmers to feed carotenoid-heavy foods to chickens that are kept in cages. The only way to know how a chicken is raised would be to see the farm firsthand.
Your local farmers market is one great source you can trust. But if you venture into the grocery store, it’s important to understand what the labels on egg cartons actually mean—it’s not always what they imply. Check out our guide to buying eggs to get savvy with the terminology.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YELLOW AND ORANGE YOLKS
If the color comes down to the hen’s diet, then a hen predominantly consuming wheat will have eggs with a paler, yellow yolk. A deeper yellow yolk indicates a diet rich in soy or corn.
Seasonal factors can also affect the color. Eggs laid in the winter may have lighter yolks because hens have limited access to grass, which also contains carotenoids. However, not all hens have access to grass year-round, and if they’re raised without it, they’ll likely have a lighter yellow yolk.
ARE THERE ANY BENEFITS TO ORANGE EGG YOLKS?
While the color of an egg yolk doesn’t necessarily indicate its nutritional value, some people believe that eggs with orange yolks are superior in taste and quality. However, research suggests that the color of the yolk is not a reliable indicator of an egg’s nutritional content or freshness.
Instead, factors such as the hen’s diet, living conditions and overall health play a more significant role in determining egg quality.
Apart from the pigment content, there might not be much of a difference in terms of taste or nutrition. Both types of yolks contain essential nutrients like protein, vitamins and minerals, regardless of their color. Research conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture has demonstrated that the color of the yolk also does not affect the egg’s nutritive value.
While an egg yolk’s shade may not impact its health value, many chefs, farmers and home cooks swear that the yolk’s color does actually affect the flavor of the egg and the dish it’s used in. The more vibrant the shade, the more vibrant the taste, they say.
According to Eater, the spread of the farm-to-table movement endowed the jammy egg with more virtuous undertones. Chef Chris Morocco explains, “the orangey, burnished, reddish yolk … became synonymous with free-range, free-running hens that have access to the outdoors and are able to actually eat the foods that they’re most naturally geared towards.”
And that color’s played to our subconscious appetites.
In the world of food marketing psychology, yellow and orange make people hungry—sprinkled with a little farm-to-table virtue—and you have a great marketing campaign. A story equating color to better treatment and nutrition, whether it’s true or not.
The takeaway: go ahead and make breakfast—both yolks do the job.
Hungry for more? Whether you’re into poached, hard boiled or fried, our Egg Tools Collection has everything you need to get your day started sunny-side up!
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