Egg Production Systems, Open Space Allowance and Their Effects on Physical Parameters and Fatty Acid Profile in Commercial Eggs

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Animal welfare is a major concern in consumer’s decision about animal products. Nowadays it is possible to find eggs produced in various systems closer or not to hens’ specific behavioural requirements. In this study we compared physical characteristics and fatty acid profile (being the nutritional value of the egg intimately linked to its lipids content) in four differently labelled eggs according to the production system: enriched cage, alternative (small outdoor area), litter floor and organic (large outdoor area). We found many significant differences in both physical characteristics and fatty acids profiles as an effect of the production system and the outdoor space availability. ABSTRACT: Food function is nowadays not merely limited to nourishment supplying; consumers’ interest is oriented to food healthiness and nutritional value, animal welfare, environmental impact of animal productions, and products’ traceability. The objective of the present work is to compare physical parameters and fatty acids profiles of market eggs produced from hens housed in four different systems. In addition, the effects of the presence of an outdoor space allowance (IND = no outdoor space allowance, OUT = outdoor space allowance) on the same parameters have been investigated. Sixty-nine market eggs from four different production systems labelled as Alternative (ALT), Enriched Cage (ECA), Litter Floor (LIF), and Organic (ORG) have been analysed. Physical parameters and fatty acid concentrations were measured. An ANOVA analysis was performed with production system and outdoor space allowance as sources of variation, two Principal Component Analyses (PCA) were carried out with physical parameters and fatty acid parameters as variables. The effects of the complex interactions occurring among production system, hen welfare, and eggs quality have been analysed in marketed eggs leading to the conclusion that eggs from different production systems available on the market are characterized by differences in fatty acid profile and physical parameters. In physical parameters the differences among systems were influenced by the whole egg weight, albumen weight and yolk weight. In fatty acids parameters the determining variables are the content in polyunsatured fatty acids (PUFA), linoleic acid concentration, and n6/n3 ratio.