Sensory Characteristics, Nutritional Composition, and Quality of Eggs from Different Chickens

Hailemariam, A., Esatu, W., Abegaz, S., Urge, M., Assefa, G. and Dessie, T. 2022. Sensory characteristics, nutritional composition, and quality of eggs from different chickens. Open Journal of Animal Sciences 12(4):591-615.

The present study evaluated the sensory, composition, and quality of eggs from Cosmopolitan (C), Improved Horro (H), ♂ Improved Horro * Cosmopolitan ♀ (HC), ♂ Cosmopolitan * Improved Horro ♀ (CH), Indigenous(L), and Koekoek (KK) genotypes. A completely randomized design was used in the study. A total of 108 (18/genotype), 180 (30/genotype), and 90 (15/genotype) eggs were used for the sensory, composition, and egg quality tests, respectively. All data were analyzed following the GLM model using SAS software. The boiled and scrambled eggs from L, H, and C were (P ≤ 0.001) preferred followed by CH, HC, and KK. Results showed that KK, HC, CH, and C eggs were higher in moisture, crude fat, crude ash, and crude fiber, but these traits were found lower in H and L genotypes. A significantly highest crude protein was observed in L (21.19 ± 0.19) genotype, with higher in H (20.62 ± 0.26), intermediate in HC (19.96 ± 0.29), C (19.85 ± 0.10), and CH (19.40 ± 0.37), whereas the eggs from KK genotype had the lowest crude protein content (18.69 ± 0.20). The egg quality was (P = 0.001 - 0.01) affected across traits except for eggshell indices (P > 0.05). The genotypes with a negative significant correlation with crude protein had a positive significant correlation with almost all composition and egg external quality traits. The genotypes with positive significant correlations of egg weight had positive significant correlations with most internal egg quality traits except that of yolk weight ratio, yolk albumen ratio, and yolk color. Conclusively: the eggs of L, H, and C genotypes were best favored followed by CH and C, but the KK genotype was the least favored, and these differences were deemed due to genetic variations, and interventions. Furthermore, the eggs laid from genotypes with deep yellow yolk color might be the most nutritious. It could also necessitate future breeding and dietary studies.