Organic egg quality parameters influenced by feed, hen line and forage material

Organic eggs make out >15% of the Danish shell egg market. Consumers buy organic eggs based on environmental and animal welfare arguments. However, there is a need for high product quality and diversity of organic eggs to increase the market share further. The overall objective was to investigate different strategies for production of organic eggs of high and differentiable quality regarding appearance (yolk colour and carotenoid composition), sensory quality, shell strength and egg albumen protein content providing more diversified eggs compared with conventional eggs. Specific objectives were to study the effect of hen genotype (layer-type versus “dual purpose”- type), identify new protein feed sources for organic laying hens in order to improve the supply of amino acids, when using 100% organic feed in diets, and investigate how foraging material interacts with egg flavour and appearance. The method was a complete block design with 2 genotypes, 3 standard diets, 2 forage material types in 4 replicates of each 25 hens. In total 1200 hens during 22 weeks were distributed in 48 outdoor pens with housing facilities and area following the regulations on organic egg production. A number of selected egg quality parameters analysed during the experiment are presented

Grovfoder, sojabønner, urter og kål i økologisk ægproduktion

Presentation of the background for the QEMP project on organic egg production. The aim of studying different strategies for production of organic eggs of high and differentiable quality and higher product diversity was presented

Correction: Hammershøj et al. Dual-Purpose Poultry in Organic Egg Production and Effects on Egg Quality Parameters. Foods 2021, 10, 897

The authors would like to make the following correction to the published paper [...

Short-term effects on productivity and egg quality in nutrient-restricted versus non-restricted organic layers with access to different forage crops

Two experiments were conducted to study the effects of different forage crops on productivity and some egg quality parameters of small flocks of organic laying hens fed whole wheat or concentrates. Each experiment was carried out in a split plot design with two different forage crops and two types of supplementary feed (typical concentrate for organic layers versus whole wheat) with three replications. In the first experiment the tested forage crops were of a well-established grass/clover and a mixture of forbs (Fagopyrum esculentum, Phacelia tanacetifolia and Linum usitatissimum). In the second experiment the tested forage crops were a well-established grass/clover and chicory (Cichorium intybus cv. Grassland Puna). The results on productivity and egg quality suggest that laying hens consume large amounts of foraging material when accessible. In nutrient restricted hens (wheat-fed) the forage may yield a substantial contribution to the requirements of amino acids and metabolizable energy although productivity parameters and measurements on dry matter in albumen showed that wheat-fed hens, on a short-term basis, were not able to fully compensate for the lack of protein and amino acids by increased foraging. Of the forage crops investigated especially chicory seems to contribute to the nutrition of the hens. Measurements on eggshell parameters showed that oyster shells together with foraging material were sufficient to meet the hens’ calcium requirements. Yolk colour clearly revealed that laying hens consume large quantities of green fodder irrespective of the type of supplementary feed. Yolk colour from hens with access to chicory tended to be darker, of a redder and less yellow hue compared with grass/clover fed hens, which is considered a positive quality

Instant infusion pasteurisation of bovine milk. I. Effects on bacterial inactivation and physical-chemical properties.

Two types of milk, skim milk and non-standardized raw milk, were heat treated using direct heating by instant infusion pasteurization with treatment temperatures in the range from 72°C to 120°C and with holding times of less than 1 second. Indirect heating by HTST pasteurization (72°C for 15 seconds) was used for comparison. The inactivation of microorganisms reached at least the same level when using instant infusion pasteurization compared to HTST pasteurization. Changes in the physical-chemical properties were observed in the skim milk fractions of instant infusion pasteurized non-standardized milk, whereas for instant infusion pasteurized skim milk less influence from the treatments was observed