A new scientific study confirms the higher effect on egg yolk color of free astaxanthin form like in Panaferd®.

Egg yolk color is one of the key quality criteria for the food industry and more consumers look for natural ingredients in all their products. Various carotenoid sources are added to laying hens diets to enhance the egg yolk either from synthetic or natural origin. In most natural pigments, carotenoids like astaxanthin are mostly present under esterified forms, while featuring a lower bioavailability than the free form like in the natural Panaferd® -AX. A recent study conducted by Zhao et al. (2023) has confirmed this superior efficiency of free astaxanthin form.

• The Study

  The purpose of this trial was to compare the effects on the color enhancement of egg yolks of different chemical structures of astaxanthin: free astaxanthin (F-AST), monoester-enriched astaxanthin (m-AST) and diester-enriched astaxanthin (d-AST). After an adaptation period, the laying hens (10 hens per group in 4 replicates, plus one control without pigment) were fed during 20 days with the experimental diets at an average content of 60 ppm astaxanthin.

• The Main Conclusion

  The results confirmed that supplementation of free astaxanthin to laying hens was more effective in accumulating astaxanthin in egg yolks than supplementation with esterified astaxanthin. The retention rate of free astaxanthin was approximately 12.0 % at the plateau phase in egg yolk, while that of monoester-enriched and diester-enriched astaxanthin were 4.0 % and 2.5 %, respectively. Free astaxanthin form like in Panaferd® -AX confirms to present a high retention rate and pigmentation effect compared with esterified astaxanthin sources.

Panaferd® -AX, through its unique natural carotenoid profile and chemical structure enhances yolk pigmentation and overall egg nutritional value.
To go further, feel free to contact our technical team.

Source : Ying-Cai Zhao, Xiao-Yue Li, Cheng-Cheng Wang, Jin-Yue Yang, Chang-Hu Xue, Tian-Tian Zhang, Yu-Ming Wang,
Free astaxanthin-rich diets enhanced astaxanthin accumulation in egg yolks compared to esterified astaxanthin-rich diets,
Food Chemistry,
Volume 405, Part A, 2023,134872, ISSN 0308-8146
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2022.134872