Bioactive contents and nutritional indexes of organic eggs laid from Ancona hens.

In spring 2009, bioactive contents, nutritional indexes and oxidative stability of eggs from different productive chains (Conventional, Organicand Organic-plus) were compared. The trial were performed in two farms: conventional (100.000 caged Brown Hy-line hens, 0,75 m2/hen)and organic (18.000 Brown Hy-line hens; indoor: 6 hen/m2 provided with 4 m2 pasture/hen) groups, whereas the Organic-Plus group (500Ancona hens) had a larger grass paddock (indoor: 6 hen/m2 provided with 10 m2/hen). The following egg characteristics were analysed: vitamin E, carotenoids, polyphenols, lipids and fatty acid profile, cholesteroland TBARs contents. Moreover were calculated many nutritional indexesas: atherogenicity (AI), thrombogenicity (TI), peroxidability (PI), theindex of nutritional quality (INQ) and the ratio between hypocholesterolaemicand hypercholesterolemic fatty acids (HH). Egg quality was affected by the pasture available. The hens that ingested grass (Organic-Plus), produced eggs with higher vitamin E, carotenoids, polyphenols, TBARs contents and PI, but lower AI and TI. The HH index was similarin all types of analyzed eggs. Organic eggs showed an intermediate trend between Conventional and Organic-plus ones in relation to n-6/n-3 and linoleic/linolenic acid ratios. Bio-Plus eggs reached values of n-3 total egg equivalent to 409,06 mg. Cholesterol levels were consistent with those found in literature with variations mainly due to genetic typeand rearing system. The egg quality was mainly affected by the pasture availability since hens which ingested more grass (Organic-plus) producedeggs with higher amount of α-tocopherol, carotenoids and n-3 fatty acids, but with worst oxidative stability.[...]