Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T08:16:46.109Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The hen's egg – is its role in human nutrition changing?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2007

N.H.C. Sparks
N.H.C. Sparks
Affiliation:
Avian Science Research Centre, Animal Health Group, SAC, Kings Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG, Scotland E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

This paper reviews the contribution that eggs can make to the human diet and considers the additional benefits that can be derived from modifying the egg's nutritional profile and in particular the egg's fats and antioxidants. Attempts to modify the egg's fat component have tended to focus on the means by which the cholesterol level in the egg may be reduced orthe ratio of n-3 to n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) manipulated. The cholesterol content of the egg has been lowered by either reducing the mass of the yolk relative to the egg (i.e. a non-specific reduction) or by using feed additives such as beta-cyclodextrin that have a specific effect on the cholesterol content of the yolk. The ratio of n-3:n-6 PUFAs in the diet is important not only because of their role in energy metabolism and biological membranes but because they affect eicosanoid metabolism, gene expression and intercellularcommunication. Eggs produced from hens receiving conventional feeds tend to be relatively high in n-6 PUFAbut dietary manipulation can be used to either increase the amount of the n-3 PUFAs directly (using fish oil) or indirectly by increasing the levels of the precursor n-3 PUFA by feeding alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) in the form of linseeds, flaxseeds or similar. Of particular interest is the n-3 PUFA docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The relatively high degree of unsaturation makes this PUFAsusceptible to oxidation during storage and cooking but this can be resolved, at least in part, by enriching the egg yolk with antioxidants such as vitamin E. Apart from reducing the rate of PUFAoxidation, enriching the level of antioxidant in the egg can also enhance levels of antioxidants in the consumer. The effect on the consumerof consuming modified and conventional eggs is considered.

Keywords

enriched eggsn-3 polyunsaturated fatty acidsantioxidantscholesterolselenium
Type
Reviews
Information
World's Poultry Science Journal , Volume 62 , Issue 2 , June 2006 , pp. 308 - 315
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anonymous (1998) General conclusions and recommendations of the consultation: expert consultation on fats and oils. Human Nutrition. FAO Rome pp3–9.Google Scholar
Anonymous (2002) Clarification of Association's recommendations on egg consumption. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3001455.Google Scholar
Anonymous (2004) Position of the American Dietetic Association on functional foods. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 104 (5): 814–826.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anonymous (2005) FAO statistics. http://www.fao.org/es/ess/top/country.jspGoogle Scholar
Brillat-Savarin, A. (1825) Physiologie du gout. In: Oxford dictionary of quotations. OUP, OxfordGoogle Scholar
Chowdhury, S.R., Sarker, D.K., Chowdhury, S.D., Smith, T.K., Roy, P.K. and Wahid, M.A. (2005) Effects of dietary tamarind on cholesterol metabolism in laying hens. Poultry Science 84 (1): 56–60.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gilbert, L.C. (2000) The functional food trend: What's next and what Americans think about eggs. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 19 (5): 507S–512S.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grashorn, M.A. and Steinberg, W. (2002) Deposition rates of canthaxanthin in egg yolks. Archiv fur Geflügelkunde 66(6): 258–262.Google Scholar
Harris, C. (2000) Meat products are perfect as functional foods. Meat Processing January/February: 19.Google Scholar
Hippocrates (5Bc) cited at http://www.ebfarm.com/About/Quotations/Food.aspx.Google Scholar
Hoffman, D.R., Theur, R.C., Castaneda, Y.A., Wheaton, D.H., Bosworth, R.G., O'Connor, A.R., Morale, S.E., Wiedemann, L.E. and Birch, E.E. (2004) Maturation of visual acuity is accelerated in breast-fed term infants fed baby food containing DHA-enriched egg yolk. Journal of Nutrition 134(9): 2307–2313.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hu, F.B., Stampfer, M.J., Rimm, E.B., Manson, J.E., Ascherio, A., Colditz, G.A., Rosner, B.A., Spiegelman, D., Speizer, F.E., Sacks, F.R., Hennekens, C.H. and Willett, W.C. (1999) Aprospective study of egg consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease in men and women. JAMA-Journal of the American Medical Association 281 (15): 1387–1394.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kang, D.K., Kim, S.I., Cho, C.H., Yim, Y.H. and Kim, H.S. (2003) Use of lycopene, an antioxidant carotenoid, in laying hens for egg yolk pigmentation. Asian-Australian Journal of Animal Sciences 16(12): 1799–1803.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kim, J.H., Hong, S.T., Lee, H.S. and Kim, H.J. (2004) Oral administration of pravastatin reduces egg cholesterol but not plasma cholesterol in laying hens. Poultry Science 83(9): 1539–1543.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kritchevsky, S.B. (2004) Areview of scientific research and recommendations regarding eggs. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 23 (6): 596S–600S.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kritchevsky, S.B. and Kritchevsky, D. (2000) Egg consumption and coronary heart disease: An epidemiologic overview. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 19 (5): 549S–555.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leskanich, C.O. and Noble, R.C. (1997) Manipulation of the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid composition of the avian egg and meat. World's Poultry Science Journal 53: 155–183.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li-Chan, E.C.Y., Powrie, W.D. and Nakai, S. (1995) The chemistry of eggs and egg products. In: Egg Science and Technology. Ed Stadelman, WJ and Cotterill, OJ. The Haworth press Inc New York.Google Scholar
Mcnaughton, S.A. and Marks, G.C. (2002) Selenium content of Australian foods: a review of literature values. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 15(2): 169–182.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Makrides, M., Hawkes, J.S., Neumann, M.A. and Gibson, R.A. (2002) Nutritional effect of including egg yolk in the weaning diet of breast-fed and formula-fed infants: a randomised controlled trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 75 (6): 1084–1092.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meyer, B.J., Mann, N.J., Lewis, J.L., Milligan, G.C., Sinclair, A.J. and Howe, P.R.C. (2003) Dietary intakes ad food sources of omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Lipids 38(4): 391–398.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nakamura, Y., Okamura, T., Tamaki, S., Kadowaki, T., Hayakawa, T., Kita, Y., Okayama, A. and Ueshima, H. (2004) Egg consumption, serum cholesterol, and cause-specific and all-cause mortality: the National Integrated Project for Prospective Observation of Non-communicable Disease and Its Trends in the Aged, 1980 (NIPPON DATA80). American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 80 (1): 58–63.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Payet, M., Esmail, M.H., Polichetti, E., Le Brun, G., Adjemout, L., Donnarel, G., Portugal, H. and Pieroni, G. (2004) Docosahexaenoic acid-enriched egg consumption induces accretion of arachidonic acid in erythrocytes of elderly patients. British Journal of Nutrition 91(5): 789–796.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sindelar, C.A., Scheerger, S.B., Plugge, S.L., Eskridge, K.M., Wander, R.C. and Lewis, N.A. (2004) Serum lipids of physically active adults consuming omega-3 fatty acid-enriched eggs or conventional eggs. Nutrition Research 24(9): 731–739.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Song, W.O. and Kerver, J.M. (2000) Nutritional contribution of eggs to the American Diet. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 29: 556S–562S.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Surai, P.F. (2000) Organic selenium and the egg: lessons from nature. Feed Compounder 20: 16–18.Google Scholar
Surai, P.F. and Sparks, N.H.C. (2001) Designer eggs: from improvement of egg composition to functional food. Trends in Food Science and Technology 12: 7–13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Szymczyk, B. and Pisulewski, P.M. (2003) Effects of dietary conjugated linoleic acid on fatty acid composition and cholesterol content of hen egg yolks. British Journal of Nutrition 90(1): 93–99.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Takahata, K., Monobe, K., Tada, M. and Weber, P.C. (1998) The benefits and risks of N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Bioscience, Biotechnology and Biochemistry 62 (11): 2079–2085.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van Hethof, K.H., Tijburg, L.B.M., De Boer, H.S.M., Wiseman, S.A. and Weststrate, J.A. (1998) Antioxidant fortified margarine increases the antioxidant status. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 52 (4): 292–299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weggemans, R.M., Zock, P.L. and Katan, M.B. (2001) Dietary cholesterol from eggs increases the ratio of total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in humans: a meta-analysis. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 73 (5): 885–891.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yaroshenko, F.O., Dvorska, J.E., Surai, P.F. and Sparks, N.H.C. (2003) Selenium-enriched eggs as a source of selenium for human consumption. Applied Biotechnology, Food Science and Policy 1(1): 13–23.Google Scholar