Egg yolk

The egg yolk is the yellow inside an egg. Its primary purpose is to serve as a food reserve for the developing embryo.

The egg yolk contains a small amount of fat, people on a low-cholesterol diet may feel the need to cut down on egg consumption, although most of the fat in egg is unsaturated fat and may not be harmful. The egg white consists primarily of water (seven eighths) and protein (one eighth) and contains no cholesterol and little if any fat.

Missing image
3_egg_yolks.JPG
3 egg yolks in a glass

All of the egg's vitamin A, D and E are in the yolk, they are one of the few foods naturally containing vitamin D. A large egg yolk contains approximately 60 calories, the egg white contains about 15 calories. A large yolk contains more than two-thirds of the recommended daily limit of 300mg of cholesterol.

The yolk makes up about 33% of the liquid weight of the egg. It contains all of the fat in the egg and almost half of the protein.

If an egg is overcooked a greenish ring sometimes appears around egg yolk, this is the result of iron and sulfur compounds in the egg. it can also occur when there is much iron in the cooking water. The green ring affects neither taste nor nutrition.

Yolk colour depends on the diet of the hen, if the diet contains yellow/orange plant pigments known as xanthophylls, then they are are deposited in the yolk, colouring it. A colourless diet, can produce an almost colourless yolk. Farmers may add natural pigments to enhance yolk colour, but artificial colours are banned.

Some hens will lay double-yolked eggs, this is a result of unsynchronised production cycles, although some hens have a higher propensity to lay double yolked eggs due to genetics. It is also possible for a young hen to produce an egg with no yolk at all.

yolk in fish

Missing image
Clupeaharenguskils2.jpg
transparent herring eggs (2 mm) with the eyes and yolk inside visible, one larva hatched - observe the yolk rests in the larva behind the large black eyes


Missing image
Clupeaharenguslarvaeinsitukils.jpg
very young herring larvae - the rest of the yolk is very well visible in the transparent animal in the middle - in the first days they are not very good in catching their evasive food copepods, and because they are relative heavy they have to swimm quite strong, burning down the yolk - then there is a "point of no return" after a few days, and if they don't learn how to hunt they die
pl:Żółtko
Navigation

  • Art and Cultures
    • Art (https://academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Art)
    • Architecture (https://academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Architecture)
    • Cultures (https://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Cultures)
    • Music (https://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Music)
    • Musical Instruments (http://academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/List_of_musical_instruments)
  • Biographies (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Biographies)
  • Clipart (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Clipart)
  • Geography (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Geography)
    • Countries of the World (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Countries)
    • Maps (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Maps)
    • Flags (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Flags)
    • Continents (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Continents)
  • History (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/History)
    • Ancient Civilizations (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Ancient_Civilizations)
    • Industrial Revolution (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Industrial_Revolution)
    • Middle Ages (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Middle_Ages)
    • Prehistory (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Prehistory)
    • Renaissance (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Renaissance)
    • Timelines (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Timelines)
    • United States (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/United_States)
    • Wars (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Wars)
    • World History (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/History_of_the_world)
  • Human Body (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Human_Body)
  • Mathematics (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Mathematics)
  • Reference (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Reference)
  • Science (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Science)
    • Animals (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Animals)
    • Aviation (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Aviation)
    • Dinosaurs (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Dinosaurs)
    • Earth (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Earth)
    • Inventions (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Inventions)
    • Physical Science (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Physical_Science)
    • Plants (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Plants)
    • Scientists (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Scientists)
  • Social Studies (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Social_Studies)
    • Anthropology (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Anthropology)
    • Economics (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Economics)
    • Government (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Government)
    • Religion (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Religion)
    • Holidays (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Holidays)
  • Space and Astronomy
    • Solar System (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Solar_System)
    • Planets (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Planets)
  • Sports (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Sports)
  • Timelines (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Timelines)
  • Weather (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Weather)
  • US States (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/US_States)

Information

  • Home Page (http://academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php)
  • Contact Us (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Contactus)

  • Clip Art (http://classroomclipart.com)
Toolbox
Personal tools