Estimation of Vitamin D3 Content in Table Eggs and its Stability during Cooking

            Vitamin D3 has a pivotal role in bone development together with maintaining the normal level of both calcium and phosphorous inside the body. Dietary intake is of great importance as a good source of vitamin D in addition to sunlight. Eggs, for instance, are excellent sources for naturally occurring cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) in daily meals. Hence, the aim of the current study was to measure the level of vitamin D3 in two kinds of table eggs (Balady and farm eggs) in Assiut Governorate. 150 eggs were collected from supermarkets and outlet retails and then subjected to determine the level of vitamin D3 using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography. Additionally, the stability of vitamin D3 after cooking (boiling and frying methods) was estimated throughout the study. The obtained results showed that the level of vitamin D3 was higher in farm eggs (0.13 to 8.5 mcg/100g) in comparison to Balady eggs (0.006 to 5.6 mcg/100g). After cooking, the reduction rate of vitamin D3 content was lower after boiling (47.43 %) than frying (65.78 %). In conclusion, farm eggs are a good source for vitamin D3, and the cooking methods may be implicated in adverse loss of vitamin D3 content in eggs. Herein, it is suggested to use the boiling method for cooking eggs than frying method to minimize the possible loss in such vitamins