Eggcellent Eggs!!

Eggs are known to be a rich source of protein. They are consumed all over the globe and are considered as a non-vegetarian food. Eggs are of 2 types – fertilized and unfertilized. Unfertilized eggs are considered as a vegetarian food. Eggs of chicken are used more often than other eggs. Let us understand this ande ka funda better.

Eggs are used for a variety of purposes in food preparation. Egg is used as a thickening agent, emulsifying agent, leavening agent, binding agent, coating agent, garnishing and enriching agent in different food products.

The structure of an egg is composed of 3 main parts – the shell, egg white and the yolk – only the egg white and yolk are edible portions of an egg.

The shell of an egg is not consumable but its condition determines the quality of egg. High porosity of the egg shell will hasten the deterioration process of eggs. Any dirt on the shell depicts the presence of a large number of contaminating micro-organisms.

Egg white is largely composed of water with no fat or carbohydrate but contains 8-12% protein.

Egg yolk comprises mostly 25-33% of fat and 15-17% protein and remaining water. The major proteins in egg yolk are lipoproteins which are responsible for the excellent emulsifying properties of egg yolk. The fats in egg yolk are triglycerides, phospholipids and lipoproteins. Due to the presence of highly unsaturated fatty acid in egg yolk fat, it is prone to undergo oxidation easily and develop off flavor.

The colour of the egg yolk varies from pale yellow to brilliant orange depending on amount of pigment present in the diet of the hen. The colour is due to the presence of the pigments carotenoids and xanthophylls.

Eggs are rich sources of all nutrients except ascorbic acid.

Egg contains 12-14% proteins.

Fat in the egg is confined to the yolk portion. Vitamins A, D, and E are present in the yolk.

On an average each egg provides 250mg of cholesterol which is sufficient for the daily requirement of cholesterol.

Important minerals such as phosphorus, iron, zinc and other trace elements are present in the egg. It is a rich source of biologically available zinc. Egg is particularly rich in Vitamin A, riboflavin, folic acid and Vitamin B_12.  (Looks like I should have named my article “His EGGcellency” for all its richnessJ)

It is important to note that this power packed food should be of a good quality so as to give us all the benefits.

The quality of an egg can be determined by various factors. A fresh egg when broken onto a plate stands up in rounded form. As the egg becomes old the albumin starts becoming watery and the yolk also loses its shape and position.

Before being packed, eggs are checked for defects by being passed over a strong light. This process is called candling because originally wax candles were used for this purpose.

You can check for the quality of egg at home by these simple methods:

Hold the egg against a source of strong light (you can use a candle too). Candling will reveal cracks in the shell, firmness of albumin, position and mobility of yolk and the possible presence of foreign substances like blood spots, moulds and developing embryo.

Also, to test the freshness of an egg, plunge it into a 12% solution of salted water. A fresh egg falls at once to the bottom; an egg 2 days old will float midway; an egg 4 days old rises to the surface; a 2 week old egg floats on top.

Similar procedure can be done with plain water. If the egg sinks, it is fresh; and if it floats, it is of poor quality.

Cooking doesn't bring about a remarkable change in the nutritive value of egg. Eat them raw or cooked, the nutrition derived from them will remain same. Except that raw eggs may pose you with the danger of acquiring food borne illness due to presence of Salmonella in the yolk of the eggs sometimes. Not all eggs are contaminated with salmonella and not each one of you will be at the risk of getting the illness. But, if infected with this bacteria, eggs can cause a lot of damage to your health. So, better safe than sorry, eat them well cooked. And, No! cooking will not damage the proteins in the egg.

Here are some simple points to be considered while buying and handling eggs:

• Discard the broken eggs.
• Refrigerate eggs immediately at 4-7°C.
• Purchase eggs needed for 1-2 weeks.
• Cook eggs atleast until the whites are completely coagulated and the yolks begin to thicken and are no longer liquidy. Cook slowly over moderate heat.
• It is best to cook and serve immediately.
• Do not leave egg dishes at room temperature for more than one hour.

Hence, including an egg in your diet provides you with sufficient amount of fats, proteins and minerals.

Post by Faiz Lahori