In the field of nutrition, eggs are known as a 'complete nutritional food'. They not only contain rich protein but also important elements for the human body such as lecithin, vitamins, calcium, iron, zinc, selenium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, and more. However, many people are not very familiar with the related nutritional and safety knowledge of such an important food. Below, we summarize four basic facts that you must know to help consumers correctly select and cook eggs in their daily lives.

Is a deeper yolk color more nutritious?

When selecting eggs daily, many people believe that 'the deeper the yolk color, the more nutritious the egg', while others think 'the nutrition of eggs is about the same; color doesn't matter'. So does the depth of yolk color really represent the nutritional level of eggs?

In fact, if we only consider protein content, most eggs do not have significant differences. However, regarding other nutritional contents, yolk color does have a considerable impact on nutritional content. Generally speaking, yolk color mainly depends on feed; yellow corn, marigold petals and green plants are rich in carotenoids. When hens consume these feeds, pigments will deposit in the yolk making it darker; when hens primarily eat wheat or white corn feed, the yolk will be lighter. Carotenoids have antioxidant properties that can enhance yolk membrane strength and deepen yolk color while improving egg quality units. Consuming yolks rich in carotenoids can provide more antioxidants beneficial to health.

In reality, some egg brands use more scientific feed formulas to make their yolks darker and richer in nutrients. For example, Huang Swan brand raw-eating egg yolks use a scientifically proportioned feed made from natural ingredients like yellow corn and soybeans; their yolks are naturally yellower and not only enhance nutrients like vitamin D and E but also contain natural carotenoids for deeper color and more balanced nutrition.

How to ensure safety when selecting eggs?

When selecting eggs, safety is paramount. Many people believe that free-range chicken eggs raised in natural environments are safer and more nutritious than standardized farmed eggs. In fact, this is a misconception; free-range environments are often uncontrollable where various pathogens can infect hens and egg products. Especially concerning Salmonella which has been reported with detection rates ranging from 3.9% to 43.7% in Chinese eggs and their products. If hens are infected with Salmonella, between 8.9% to 50% of their laid eggs may carry this bacteria. Even standardized farming cannot guarantee safety if control measures are lax; let alone naturally raised chickens which cannot ensure safety.

However, this issue has greatly improved recently as domestic egg companies have begun establishing comprehensive Salmonella control systems ahead of others while formulating corresponding industry group standards. For instance, Huang Swan has launched higher quality eggs meeting 'raw-eating standards' with strict requirements against common pathogens like Salmonella that cause foodborne illnesses by conducting tests throughout all stages from breeding to initial processing.

Which is a higher standard: national standards or corporate standards?

'Raw-eating egg standards' significantly improve food safety issues for egg products as mentioned earlier. However there are doubts regarding such corporate standards; many believe national standards should be superior to corporate ones claiming that a company's 'raw-eating egg standard' lacks authority compared to national standards.

In fact this perception is also a major misconception. Generally speaking national standards serve as basic entry requirements for industries while corporate or group standards often exceed national ones representing higher industry levels. Taking 'raw-eating egg group standard' as an example compared to China's current Food Safety Standards for Eggs (GB2749), it adds seven indicators including Salmonella and E.coli which were not required by national standards along with three other indicators like lead making its criteria stricter than national ones by double.

'Last year after releasing the 'raw-eating egg group standard', Professor Ma Meihu from Huazhong Agricultural University stated: 'This group standard far exceeds national standards in many areas representing China's highest standard for egg products reaching internationally leading levels.' Eggs produced under this standard naturally represent high-quality raw-eating eggs worth trusting.'

'Soft-boiled vs hard-boiled: which cooking method has advantages?'

'Many people have their own views on cooking methods for eggs. Previously experts recommended consuming hard-boiled eggs due to safety concerns believing they were safer with higher protein absorption rates but nowadays people's preferences for eating eggs have diversified with raw Japanese-style eating becoming popular while Scotland's soft-boiled version has been a culinary tradition for nearly three centuries. So which method truly holds advantages: soft-boiled or hard-boiled?'

'Recently Chengdu University's Institute of Egg Science & Nutrition Health released a report titled 'The Impact Study of Heat Treatment Intensity on Egg Nutrients & Digestive Characteristics'. It studied common home-cooked egg products concluding that among various heat treatment methods soft-boiled offers optimal taste & appearance promoting protein digestion while preserving active nutrients effectively among unique advantages over others.

From this research it’s clear soft-boiled has significant advantages previously experts suggested hard-boiling due to safety concerns but today there exist safer raw-eating standard eggs allowing us greater diversity in cooking methods based on personal taste.