Comparative Pigmentation Efficiency of High Dietary Levels of Apo-Ester and Marigold Extract on Quality Traits of Whole Liquid Egg of Two Strains of Laying Hens

This trial was carried out to compare the effect of the dietary supplementation of high dosesof either synthetic pigment ethyl ester of β-apo-8′-carotenoic acid (apo-ester) or natural pigments,mainly lutein and zeaxanthin, extracted from Tagetes erecta, on egg quality of hens laying brownshell eggs (ISA Brown) and white shell eggs (Hy-Line White W-36). The hens of each strain weredivided into 6 groups and fed a corn-soybean basal diet supplemented either with 40, 60, and 80ppm of apo-ester (APO) or with 120, 180, and 240 ppm of marigold extract (MAR). Egg pigmentationrose linearly and significantly (P < 0.01) as the dietary levels of apo-ester increased, but this didnot occur when MAR supplementation was used. The amount of β-carotene equivalents in wholeliquid egg of MAR treatments was almost constant with varying pigment dietary dose and wassignificantly lower (P < 0.01) than in APO treatments. In both hen strains, whole liquid egg redness(a*) and yellowness (b*) were higher with APO supplementation. The egg component weights werehighly affected (P < 0.01) by the hen strain, with yolk:egg ratio higher in the Hy-Line. The trialconfirms that in spite of the higher level of MAR supplementation, APO has a better efficiency inwhole liquid egg pigmentation. The ISA Brown hens showed a better ability to absorb dietarycarotenoids than did the Hy-Line White.