Deposition in Egg Yolks of the Carotenoids from Saponified and Unsaponified Oleoresin of Red Pepper (Capsicum annuum) Fed to Laying Hens ,

The influence of saponification on the deposition in egg yolks of the carotenoids from oleoresin of red pepper (Capsicum annuum) was investigated. Four replicates of 10 hens depleted of carotenoid stores were fed for 3 wk with a basal diet of white corn and soybean meal, amended with saponified (Diet A) or unsaponified (Diet B) oleoresin. The yolks from the eggs collected on Days 0, 7, 14, and 21 were analyzed by reflectance colorimetry and by HPLC. With both diets, the ah (redness), in particular, and the bh (yellowness) increased significantly (P<05). The yolks from hens fed Diet A were redder and yellower than those from the hens fed Diet B, but Lh (lightness) was not affected. Trans-lutein, frans-zeaxanthin, and trans-capsanthin accounted for more than 85% of the total carotenoids deposited in the yolks. Regardless of the diet, the yolks consistently had 9 detectable HPLC peaks; but after saponification, those diets had 15 peaks. Among the peaks, capsanthin and zeaxanthin correlated best with ah (redness). From the ratios of total carotenoid concentrations in the yolks to those in the feed, the carotenoids from Diet A were calculated to have been deposited twice as efficiently as those from Diet B. The ratios for the respective concentrations of lutein, zeaxanthin, capsanthin, and total carotenoids in the yolks of eggs from hens fed Diet A and Diet B were 1.64, 1.76, 2.48, and 2.00. The dietary capsanthin was calculated to have been deposited with an efficiency of 16% in the present experiment.