Folate content in Swedish eggs: influence of breed, feed and processing

Abstract

Folate content in eggs from three different breeds of hens fed with three different feeds, one organic and two conventional, was compared using a simplified microbiological assay. Retention of folate when boiling the eggs was also studied. Folate content in eggs did not differ significantly due to the breed of hen or the feed used. The loss of folate when boiling the eggs was 9%. The results from the microbiological assay were confirmed by LC/MS. According to this study, 1 egg (60 g) provides 40-50 mu g of folate. This corresponds to 13-17% of the recommended daily intake, 300 mu g for adults in the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations. The folate forms found in egg yolk with LC/MS were 5-methyl-tetrahydrofolate and 10-formyl-folic acid, whereas no folates were found in egg white. In this study, no polyglutamate folate forms could be detected in eggs.

Keywords

Folate; Food analysis; HPLC; LC/MS; Microbiological assay; Egg; Egg yolk

Published in

European Food Research and Technology
2011, volume: 233, number: 6, pages: 923-930
Publisher: SPRINGER

SLU Authors

• Jastrebova, Jelena

  • Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Food Science

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-011-1587-5

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/57730