Egg Quality and Nutritional Profiles of Four Turkey Varieties Reared under Tropical Conditions

Background and Objective: Characterizing the egg quality traits and nutritional composition of turkey varieties is essential for informed breeding decisions and the development of functional eggs. However, information on these characteristics under tropical production conditions remains limited. Therefore, this study investigated the egg quality traits, proximate composition and amino acid profiles of eggs from four turkey varieties (Black, Bronze, White and Bourbon Red) reared under tropical conditions in Bangladesh. Materials and Methods: A total of 240 turkey layers, with 60 birds per variety, were reared on a corn-soya-based diet from 24 to 55 weeks of age in four separate floor pens under an intensive rearing system. At 55 weeks of age, a total of 120 eggs (30 eggs per variety) were randomly collected to evaluate external and internal egg quality, proximate composition and amino acid profiles. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and treatment means were separated using Duncan's multiple range test at p<0.05. Results: The White variety exhibited a higher shape index than the other varieties (p<0.001). Moisture, crude protein and ash contents differed among the varieties. Bourbon Red showed the highest moisture content (p<0.001), whereas Black and Bronze exhibited the highest crude protein content and Black had the highest ash content (p<0.05). The Black variety also showed the highest amino acid concentration, followed by the Bronze variety (p<0.0001). Conclusion: Overall, the Black and Bronze turkey varieties produced eggs with superior crude protein and amino acid concentrations, providing valuable baseline nutritional information to support variety selection under tropical production conditions.