Cooking Eggs with Chemicals Lowers its Fat-Soluble Vitamins, Proteins, Fats and Cholesterol Contents

Abstract

The effects of cooking eggs with chemicals on its nutrient contents were studied in eggs from four bird species (Gallus gallus): quail (Corturnix delegorgei), guinea fowl (Numida meleagris), local chicken (Gallus varius) and high-breed chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus). A total of 60 eggs, consisting of 15 eggs from each bird specie were studied. Eggs from each bird species were divided into groups A, B, C, D and E, of three eggs per group. Eggs in groups A, B, C and D were boiled with omo, klin, table salt and alum, respectively while group E eggs were boiled with water only and served as the control. Vitamins were determined using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC, AKAPTA), while protein, fat and cholesterol were determined using standard methods. Our results showed that quail egg was superior in fat-soluble vitamins content in comparison to the other eggs species. While the chemicals prevented cracking of the shell during boiling and enhanced peeling of the shell after cooking, significantly (p<0.05) lower concentrations of vitamins, proteins, fat and cholesterol were observed in eggs cooked with these chemicals in comparison to the control, with the detergents having more devastating effects than table salt and alum.

Keywords: Chemical additives, nutrient composition, food processing, denaturation, biomolecules