IPB University Researchers with PT Nutricell Pacific Successfully Develop Functional Chicken Eggs Rich in Vitamin D3
Chicken eggs are one of the most popular food ingredients in Indonesia. Apart from being affordable, the nutritional value contained in it can play an important role in fulfilling human nutritional needs.
As the human population grows every year, the demand for egg consumption is increasing worldwide. According to 2022 data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation (FAO), Indonesia ranks 4th as a country that contributes to the world’s total egg production.
In response to this, increasing the productivity and quality of chicken egg products to ensure food security must certainly continue. One of the efforts can be achieved by engineering the nutrition of the feed given to laying hens.
IPB University researchers succeeded in developing functional chicken eggs rich in vitamin D3 initiated together with PT Nutricell Pacific. They are Prof Sumiati and Dr Rita Mutia (both lecturers at the Faculty of Animal Sciences, IPB University), Dr Wira Wisnu Wardani (Nutricell Bioscience Molecules, Pte Ltd Singapore), and Gina Maulidarni Yusuf, SPt (IPB University Postgraduate Student, Nutrition and Feed Science Study Program).
Nutricell Eggstra is a supplement containing vitamin D3 and enriched with carotenoid pigments to be applied in laying hen feed. The research, which has been conducted since November 2022, has produced a positive response to productivity and egg quality.
“Nutricell Eggstra supplementation in laying hen feed can increase daily egg production and egg mass by 12.44 percent and 13.02 percent respectively with feed usage that can be reduced by 11.61 percent,” said Prof Sumiati, one of the researchers.
In addition to increasing productivity, he explained, Nutricell Eggstra supplementation in feed is also able to produce better quality eggs. This is indicated by the color of the yolk and the quality of the shell.
“The increase in yolk color to be more eye-catching or orange is a response to the carotenoids contained in Nutricell Eggstra. The color of the yolk is one of the considerations of consumers in choosing eggs, with the quality of the resulting color can certainly provide added value to the product, ” she explained.
Prof Sumiati also said, eggs produced from chickens that receive Nutricell Eggstra supplementation in their feed also have better shell quality. This is shown by the thickness, strength and porosity of the egg shell in response to the content of vitamin D3 in the feed. Eggs with higher shell thickness and strength are important factors during storage and transportation.
Moreover, by obtaining the category of good eggshell quality from the assessment of eggshell porosity, it further strengthens the quality of the shell to protect damage that can be caused by the entry of bacteria or harmful microorganisms into the egg. The role of vitamin D3 is vital, especially in the formation of egg shells, which in turn can also contribute to the health of chickens and the economic value of farmers.
Vitamin D deficiency can cause rickets in early childhood or increase the risk of osteoporosis and osteomalacia in adults. The application of Nutricell Eggstra in feed is able to produce functional chicken eggs with a vitamin D3 content of 7.11 mcg/100g.
These enriched eggs have the potential to produce much greater profits compared to commercial eggs in general. This condition also directly contributes to increasing human vitamin D3 intake without changing consumption patterns. (Gina/Rz) (IAAS/RUM)
