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When I hear “designer eggs,” I immediately imagine models strutting around in egg couture suits. But that’s not exactly what designer eggs are. They are not only beautifully painted Ukrainian eggs either. Instead, the engineered eggs were nutritionally augmented, usually through the chicken’s diet. Eggs are enriched with nutrients already found in eggs – such as Vitamin D, Vitamin E and Omega-3 fatty acids – which enhance the nutrients in eggs. Most designer eggs are chicken eggs, although some commercially available duck and quail eggs are rich in omega-3s.
“Eggs are good.” “Eggs are bad.” Maybe eggs are just delicious.
If you’re old enough, you may remember that sometime in the 70’s eggs became “bad” for you because they were high in cholesterol. We need some cholesterol in our diets for digestion, cellular function, and hormone production. But too much cholesterol (found in fat) can also clog blood vessels, which can actually cause problems. Keep in mind that cholesterol in the bloodstream does not come from eating cholesterol in the first place, so the advice that cholesterol intake is a factor in high cholesterol is particularly misleading. Unfortunately, diet science usually boils down to determining good or bad for the general public, while research shows that it is never black and white. Gradually, studies conducted in the early 2000s revealed how different types of cholesterol (high-density lipids (HDL) and low-density lipids (LDL)) act differently in the body. These studies show that HDL is really beneficial. There is now a general consensus that eating eggs does not really raise blood cholesterol. Unless you have a genetic predisposition to high cholesterol, you can now enjoy your morning egg guilt-free.
Fortified and tested food
Boosting, improving, or enriching food—no matter what label you choose to use—is nothing new at all. Fermentation is a form of food modification that has been around for thousands of years (think beer and brews in ancient Egypt). But improving foods through laboratory work is very much a 20th century development. Enter omega-3-enriched eggs and find what is sometimes called “nature’s perfect food,” even more perfect. In 1934, Dr. Ethel Margaret Cruikshank, who was researching the fatty acids in egg yolks, began modifying egg yolks to enhance the concentration of mega-3 fatty acids. Her initial research was not pursued until the late 1990s, when Canadian doctors. Sang-Jun Sim and Hoon H. Sunwoo fed flaxseed to chickens and succeeded in developing the first engineered eggs rich in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. Soon, other scientists succeeded in creating eggs fortified with omega-3s, vitamin D, and vitamin E, by feeding chickens flaxseed, the minerals, vitamins, and lutein. Some of the eggs they made had six times more omega-3 than eating 100 grams of fish, and three times more vitamin D than unfertilized eggs. They were also able to show that the eggs were stable during storage and cooking in the refrigerator, making the added nutrients bioavailable to egg consumers.
Not only does the addition of omega-3 fatty acids provide consumers with fertilized eggs, but as Dr. Rajasekaran reported in 2013, it also reduces the cholesterol content of eggs by replacing the saturated fats in the yolk with long-chain unsaturated fats. Eating less saturated fat is recommended by the American Heart Association and the American Osteopathic Association. Studies from many different countries consistently show that diets lower in saturated fat lead to lower cholesterol and hardening of heart plaques. Additionally, the modern scientific consensus is that it is trans fats that cause inflammatory problems in the arteries, not saturated fats. This is why avocados, butter, and lard have been redefined as acceptable sources of fats needed for healthy brain function and digestion.
“It’s never that simple.”
There is not just one type of omega-3 fatty acid. There are many and they come from different sources. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) are commonly found in oily fish, such as salmon, trout, and sardines, while alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is abundant in flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, chia seeds, hemp seeds, hemp oil, walnuts, and soybeans. DHA and EPA are essential for the proper development and maintenance of brain cells. ALA appears to be more beneficial for heart health, although it has not been studied as extensively as DHA and EPA.
The first commercially engineered eggs were developed by feeding chickens rich in ALA, flaxseed, hemp seed, and soybeans. When hens digest flax, a small percentage (often less than 1 percent) of ALA is broken down into the fatty acids DHA and EPA, both of which pass into the yolk.
Sounds great, right? Feed your chickens some flaxseed and you’ll get an omega-3-enhanced egg. But it’s not that simple. A 2018 study by Dr. Richard Elkin at the University of Pennsylvania showed that chickens fed flaxseed oil mixed with high-oleic acid soybeans—to increase the absorption of omega-3s in the yolk—do not, in fact, produce such eggs. The omega-3 fatty acids found in eggs are lower than those found in eggs of chickens fed a flaxseed-only supplement.
So what happens if you add fish oil to chicken feed to increase the amount of DHA and EPA fatty acids in the yolk? A large study of broilers in Hyderabad, India, showed that chopped eggs increased ALA and DHA/EPA fatty acid levels. The study also split the final feed, giving 2 percent sunflower oil to one group and 3 percent fish oil to another, and then assessed the broiler carcasses for body fat content. Cooked birds were also evaluated by a sensory panel of smell and taste.
Carcasses fed sunflower oil showed a 5 percent increase in body fat (especially in the abdomen) compared to those fed fish oil. This means that chickens fed fish oil had reduced levels of saturated fats in the body and an increase in polyunsaturated fats in the meat. The sensory panel did not detect any fishy odors or tastes with the 3 percent fish oil supplement, although other studies have indicated that taking more than 5 percent fish oil affects taste and smell. While “turducken” may be a current culinary fad, fishy chicken hasn’t caught on yet.
eggs or no eggs
You know that egg you can have for breakfast? Diet researchers still disagree about whether or not an egg is good for you. Dr. Walter Willett’s study shows that moderate egg consumption does not appear to increase the risk of stroke or heart disease (except for people with a strong genetic predisposition to high cholesterol). And the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans don’t even include a specific numerical target for daily cholesterol consumption as previous guidelines did. But some nutrition scientists worry that this view is too simple and sends the wrong message about LDL cholesterol in eggs. Dr. David Spence, professor of clinical neuroscience and pharmacology at Western University in London, Ontario, is particularly forthright in pointing out that many of the recent studies on egg nutrition have been funded in part by the Egg Nutrition Center, part of the American Egg Board, and they have A vested interest in promoting egg consumption.
In regards to omega-3-enriched eggs specifically, most nutritionists recommend eating fish, of all things. Omega-3-enriched eggs that are commonly available through companies, such as Eggland’s Best and Organic Valley, contain 100 to 150 milligrams of ALA while 3 ounces of salmon provides 1 to 3 grams of DHA and EPA.
To bleach or not? It is up to you based on your medical history.
Who really benefits?
Designer eggs are often twice the price of regular commercial eggs and are often marketed to populations that have relatively easy access to other sources of omega-3s through fish and nutritional supplements. For most US markets, this makes designer eggs a little more expensive and out of style. However, there are other population groups that really need enhanced nutrition.
Since it is relatively easy to raise eggs, and raising chickens is very easy, populations living in areas poor in food can benefit greatly from their consumption. India is a food paradox. Economic growth has been relatively high in the past decade, but slower progress has been made regarding widespread and consistent availability of foodstuffs. In general, cereal crops and non-food crops were promoted over food crops and animals. Although India’s poverty rate has significantly decreased by almost half in the past ten years, there are still large areas of food insecurity. Consumption of chicken, meat and eggs is popular and growing in India due to its high protein content and relatively low cholesterol content. Feeding chickens to produce omega-3, vitamin-enriched eggs and meat is an incredible benefit to a population that struggles to get adequate nutrition in the first place.
Fertilized eggs are also beneficial for populations that do not have access to cold-water fish, such as salmon, albacore tuna, cod or halibut, which remain the best sources of omega-3s. Dr IP Dike of the Department of Biological Studies at Covenant University of Nigeria looked at the nutritional benefits For ordinary Nigerians when local farmers supplement their chickens with flaxseed. Although Nigeria has a coastline, access to cold-water fish is very limited, and the cost of bulk flaxseed is within the reach of many farmer cooperatives. Fertilized eggs are a good source of essential nutrients, especially for children who need fatty acids for early brain development.
Can small herd owners create eggs enhanced with omega-3?
Technically, yes. You can add rich omega-3 supplements to the chicken’s diet. What you can’t do is market them as omega-3-rich eggs without being meticulous about the feed, and have your eggs tested in the lab for omega-3s. You’ll also need to be careful about supplementation. Too much flaxseed can cause thinner shells, smaller eggs, and reduce body weight gain in birds. It can also affect the taste of the eggs. If you consume too much omega-3, it may affect your body’s absorption of omega-6 (linoleic acid), which helps your immune system.
Chicken eggs are amazing little berries to feed on their own. They are still in demand as designer eggs and as a powerhouse food for food-poor regions.
Carla Tilghman He is an editor Backyard poultry, and an avid researcher of all things fowl. In her spare time, she works as a textile artist, gardener of herbs and dye plants, and as a backyard chicken wrangler.