Carotenoids and egg quality

DOI: 10.15414/afz.2014.17.02.55–57Received 9. May 2014 ǀ Accepted 29. May 2014 ǀ Available online 23. June 2014From the viewpoint of consumers, great emphasis is placed on the colour of yolk. Hens cannot synthesize the pigments and thus the feed mixtures are source of pigments. Moreover, synthetic carophylls are used for colouring effect of yolk, but in this case, the limits must be observed in terms of human health. Therefore, natural alternatives are searched, which will have a similar colouring effect and will not negatively affect the egg quality. Natural sources of carotenoids such as carrot, alga Chlorella, marigold or lutein increase the concentration of health-promoting carotenoids in yolks and increase the quality of eggs. For practical use, there must be taken into account the price of natural sources of carotenoids.Keywords: carotenoids, carophyll, yolk colour, vitamin