We asked poultry experts to explain what’s behind the shade of your egg yolk, from pale yellow to deep orange.
It can be jarring to crack an egg and see a bright orange yolk instead of the expected pale yellow, or vice versa.
Americans eat on average nearly 300 eggs a year, making it likely you’ll stare down an unusual (for you) shade of yolk at some point.
While poultry researchers note that an orange yolk isn’t necessarily better than a yellow one, the shade can indicate how the hen might have been raised.
We tapped four poultry experts to explain what’s behind the spectrum of egg yolk shades, and what each one means.
There are a lot of possibilities when it comes to egg yolk color. “Egg yolk color can range anywhere from almost white to a blood-red color,” says Richard Blatchford, PhD