Comparative Studies of Chemical Constituents in the Eggs of Various Birds

I. Major Composition in the Egg Contents

Abstract

General compositions of the egg contents of 14 species of birds were investigated.
The results were as follows:
1. The yolk, the albumen and the shell in proportion to total egg weight made up 27.9 to 35.7, 51.8 to 63.4, and 7.9 to 17.5 per cent, respectively. The albumen constituted 1.4 to 2.2 fold weight of the yolk.
2. In general chemical composition of the egg contents, water and lipids content of yolk differed greatly from that of albumen. The albumen consisted chiefly of moisture, contained 87.0 to 90.1 per cent and the yolk contained 44.6 to 49.3 per cent. Lipids formed the largest part of the organic solid in the yolk and the smallest in the albumen. The lipid concentration of the yolk was 29.8 to 35.8 per cent and that of the albumen was less than 0.06 per cent.
3. The percentage composition of the egg contents varied among the eggs of different species of birds. The eggs of water fowls contained less moisture and more fat in the yolk than those of land species; moisture being below 44.7 and fat more than 35.3 per cent.