Evaluación de la calidad del huevo marrón comercial del cantón La Troncal, Ecuador

Abstract

The quality of commercial brown egg from the county La Troncal, Ecuador, was evaluated. A total of 1,200 eggs were studied (parish La Troncal, 400 eggs; parish Manuel J. Calle, 400 eggs and parish Pancho Negro, 400 eggs). The external physical analysis was performed, which includes egg weight, thickness and shell weight, and the internal physical analysis, which includes diameter, and height of white and yolk. Eggs were classified according to color, weight and shape. Each parish was considered a treatment and means of variables of the external and internal physical analyses were separated using the Tukey test (p≤0.05). Colors 90, 100 and 110 were the most frequent. According to egg weight, the most frequent categories were extralarge (38%), large (30%) and giant (19%). According to shape, the highest frequency was of ovoid and round eggs (92%), being more frequent, between these two categories, the ovoid eggs. Birds from Manuel J. Calle parish produced (p≤0.05) larger eggs, with greater diameter and white height, higher yolk height, greater weight and shell thickness, a darker brown color and mostly ovoid eggs, while the other parishes produced slightly lower values. In conclusion, the parishes of La Troncal, Ecuador, produce large eggs, with good diameter and white height, and a really brown color, that is, they produce very good quality eggs.