EGGS AND THEIR VALUE AS FOOD. 5 



i 



FLAVOR OF EGGS AND FACTORS AFFECTING IT. 



It is general!}' conceded that eggs which are perfectly fresh have 

 the finest flavor. After they have been kept for a time, the flavor 

 deteriorates, even if there is no indication of spoiling. Such dif- 

 ferences are especially important when eggs are used for table pur- 

 poses. Stale eggs are not regarded as palatable, and the flavor of 

 spoiled eggs is such that for this, if for no other reason, they are 

 totally unfit for food. The flavor of even perfectly fresh eggs is not 

 always satisfactory, since it is influenced more or less by the charac- 

 ter of the food eaten by the laying hens, eggs produced on highly 

 nitrogenous rations, for instance, being inferior to those from a car- 

 bonaceous ration. Highly flavored food, such as wild-onion tops 

 and cabbage, may also have a bad effect on the flavor of the eggs pro- 

 duced. This is a matter of importance, especially when poultry is 

 kept to supply eggs for table use. 



COMPOSITION. 



The shell of a hen's egg constitutes about 11 per cent, the yolk 

 32 per cent, and the white 57 per cent of the total weight of the 

 egg. The shell of a duck's egg constitutes about 14 per cent of 

 the total weight and that of a plover's egg 10 per cent. The propor- 

 tion of white and yolk varies somewhat with different breeds of hens, 

 the proportion of yolk being greatest in bantam eggs and, in general, 

 greater with those breeds which are best suited for fattening than 

 with others. Brown-shelled eggs have been found to have a somewhat 

 heavier shell than white-shelled eggs. 



The following table shows the composition of hens' eggs (raw and 

 cooked, brown shelled and white shelled) and of egg white and yolk, 

 as well as the composition of the eggs (whole egg, white, and yolk) 

 of guinea fowls, ducks, geese, turkeys, plovers, etc., and that of evap- 

 orated eggs and egg substitutes. For purposes of comparison the 

 composition of several other familiar foods is also included. 



