There’s a large number of questions and concerns about the appearance of eggs. Any slight cloud, strange white wrinkles, different colored shell, or red spots, and we take pause. In fact, they’re all perfectly safe to eat, and don’t even substantially change the taste.
One odd occurrence: Seeing a completely white or incredibly light-yellow yolk (蛋黄). Often, it is enough to drive you to Google search or call your mom to double-check if it’s OK to consume. The good news is that you don’t need to throw away that fried egg from the pan. Coming across a white yolk is perfectly natural, though it’s a little rare in the United States.
The color of your egg yolk depends on the feed of the chickens. In the U. S. , chickens typically eat a diet of yellow corn, and the pigments (色素) from the plant make their way into the egg yolks. Those pigments are also what give chicken skin and fat its yellowish color. If the chicken happens to eat more white corn than yellow, the yolk will be paler as well.
If you’ve traveled overseas, you’ve probably noticed that the color of yolks varies widely across the globe. Again. this difference comes down to what the chickens are eating. In many African countries, for example, chickens typically have a diet of mostly sorghum, a grain with much less yellow pigmentation than yellow corn, resulting in lighter. or completely white yolks. In South American countries, you will notice pink, blood orange. or almost reddish yolks, because their chicken feed is rich in red seeds.
In the U. S. , many people falsely associate darker yolks with happier hens or higher nutrition. Farmers can easily manipulate the chicken feed to include carrots, alfalfa (苜蓿) powder, or red seeds to determine the color of their chickens’ eggs.
8. Why are people so concerned about the appearance of eggs?
A.It affects the prices. | B.It is related to food safety. |
C.It is linked with their nutrition. | D.It determines the color of yolk. |
9. How do people find a white yolk according to Paragraph 2?
A.Abnormal. | B.Delicious. | C.Fresh. | D.Natural. |
10. What affects the color of the egg yolk most?
A.The food hens eat. | B.The color of the hens. |
C.The type of the hens. | D.The freshness of the eggs. |
11. Why do farmers add alfalfa powder or red seeds to the feed of chickens?
A.To cut down the farm costs. | B.To make their eggs easily preserved. |
C.To promote their eggs’ attraction. | D.To improve the health of chickens. |