Have you ever cracked open an egg and been surprised to find a pink or reddish egg white? While it may look alarming, it’s important to understand what causes this discoloration and whether it’s safe to eat.
Causes of Pink Egg White
There are two main causes of pink egg white:
1. Pseudomonas bacteria: This is the most common cause of pink egg white. Pseudomonas bacteria are found in soil and water, and they can contaminate eggshells if the eggs are not properly cleaned. The bacteria produce a greenish, fluorescent pigment that can turn the egg white pink or reddish. While some strains of Pseudomonas bacteria can be harmful to humans, the ones that cause pink egg white are not typically considered a health risk.
2. Blood spots: These are small spots of blood that can sometimes be found in egg whites. They are caused by a ruptured blood vessel in the hen’s ovary and are not harmful to eat. However, some people may find them unappetizing.
Is Pink Egg White Safe to Eat?
In most cases, pink egg white is safe to eat. The bacteria that cause it are not typically harmful to humans, and the discoloration does not affect the taste or texture of the egg. However, it’s important to use your best judgment. If the egg smells bad or has other signs of spoilage, it’s best to throw it away.
What to Do if You Find a Pink Egg
If you find a pink egg, you can do the following:
- Crack the egg into a separate bowl. This will help you to see if there are any other signs of spoilage, such as a bad smell or discoloration.
- Cook the egg thoroughly. This will kill any bacteria that may be present.
- If you are unsure, throw the egg away. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Additional Information
Here are some additional things to keep in mind about pink egg white:
- It is most common in older eggs. The longer an egg sits, the more likely it is to develop pink egg white.
- It can also be caused by improper storage. Eggs should be stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of 40°F or below.
- It is not a sign of a sick chicken. The color of the egg white does not indicate the health of the chicken that laid it.
Conclusion
While a pink egg white may look strange, it is usually not a cause for concern. If you are unsure, you can always throw the egg away. However, if you are feeling adventurous, you can cook the egg thoroughly and enjoy it.
Additionally, brown pigment can vary greatly; for example, the color of brown eggs can change seasonally from lighter in the summer to darker in the winter. An older hen will eventually have a lighter shell because the pigment always fades with the chicken’s age.
Pink Eggs: Not many hens lay pink eggs, but the ones that do usually have the cuticle painted on shortly before the egg is laid (4-6 hours after the 26-hour process is complete). The thickness of the applied bloom will dictate the color of the pink.
There are various breeds of chickens that lay white eggs because they lack pigment genes in their DNA. Adalusians, Leghorns, Lakenvelders, and other breeds are among those that lay white eggs, but those are the most well-known.
Green Eggs: A crossbreed between a blue egg and a brown egg breed of chicken produces the green egg-laying chickens, also known as Easter Eggers and Olive Eggers. Thus, they have both the blue and brown genes. Because of the cross between the blue egg and brown breed, the inside of these eggs will be blue, but the outside will be green (blue and brown = green).
Which breeds of chickens are your favorites to raise, if you raise them? Have you ever seen any of these variations?
“We’re positive you’ve previously seen pink eggs in Thai markets or supermarkets. The Thai term for the pink egg is 븂่เยี่ยวม้า (khai yiao ma), which literally translates to “horse urine egg.” Have you ever wondered what they are? A prevalent misperception or “myth” states that these eggs were formerly made by soaking them in equine feces.
Without Gregory’s curiosity, we never would have discovered this. I can now be certain that they intended to say “Thousand Year Old Eggs,” and the word “Yawned” was simply a poor translation—possibly from a translation tool—when they were creating their English menu. I’m very relieved that pink or century eggs aren’t submerged in horse urine for several months!
Okay, so in a previous post of ours titled “It’s so Easy Here,” Gregory Garceau asked a question. Gregory’s keen eyes had picked out some pink eggs in the shadowy areas of a market photo, and he was curious about them. The pink eggs have always seemed to me to be a variant of Thousand Year Old Eggs, also known as Century Eggs. China is the place where Thousand Year Old Eggs first appeared. They are pale, gray, and unclean-looking, and occasionally they have ash or dirt on them. In China, during periods of abundance, eggs were preserved for later use. While century-old or thousand-year-old eggs always appear dirty, pink eggs are consistently clear, bright, and vividly colored.
Thank goodness, this is untrue; however, the myth probably originated from the pink egg’s peculiar ammonia scent. The pink egg is a Thai take on the century or thousand-year egg, an Asian custom that entailed preserving the egg for a few weeks or months with a mixture of rice hulls, clay, ash, salt, and quicklime.
This particular preparation method for eggs originated in Thailand. The outcome completely changes the egg; although it appears pink on the outside, when peeled, the pink egg is actually dark brown or greenish-black. We assure you that the taste is not as horrible as it may first seem, but some people find the smell off-putting.
Pink egg genetics
FAQ
Why is my eggshell pink?
Why did my chicken lay a pink egg?
Which bird lays pink eggs?
Are pink eggs rare?
What does a pink egg look like?
Pink – Pink eggs can be a matter of perception. To some folks, the egg may appear to be a light tint. To others, it will appear a pale pink. Orpingtons are your best bet for consistently pink-colored eggs.
Where does pink eye originate from?
The most common ways to get the contagious form of pink eye include: Direct contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids, usually through hand-to-eye contact and spread of the infection from bacteria living in the person’s own nose and sinuses. Most cases of pink eye are caused by adenovirus but also can be caused by other viruses, including herpes simplex virus and varicella-zoster virus.
Which chicken lays pink eggs?
There is no one breed you can pick to ensure a pink egg layer, but olive eggers, blue egg layers, or dark brown egg-laying species bred with a creamy colored egg layer may produce a chicken that lays something along the lines of pink. This sounds great, doesn’t it?! A chicken that lays chocolate eggs is not what it sounds like.
Do Easter eggers have pink eggs?
Ultimately, though, it comes down to individual variation within breeds. Commonly, species such as Light Sussex, Barred Rock, Mottled Javas, Australorp, Buff Orpington, Silkie, and Faverolle that lay crème colored eggs might also have a genetic variation that tints them pink. This also occurs with the Easter Egger chicken, as mentioned before.