How to buy eggs to avoid dark specks
There have been many occasions when I've bought eggs and on breaking them, they have little specks of dark solids inside (sometimes a lot and sometimes too much). I generally, just remove them by a spoon if its not too much of it but when I see there's a lot of it, I end up throwing the egg and hate the wastage.
What are these dark solids? Is there a general rule of thumb for buying good quality eggs without those specks?
EDIT: I always buy free range eggs from one brand (unless not available) and they are brown eggs from Australian chickens.
Best Answer
The spots aren't anything to worry about.
From Egg Safety Center
Eggs with blood spots and meat spots are fine to eat. Most eggs with blood or meat spots are detected by electronic spotters and never reach the market, but it’s impossible to catch them all. Blood or meat spots are caused by the rupture of a blood vessel on the yolk surface when it’s being formed or by a similar accident in the wall of the oviduct in the hen’s reproductive tract. Blood spots and meat spots do not pose a risk to human health when prepared properly.
In the US, eggs farmed commercially are "candled" to ensure that blood spots larger than 1/8 inch aren't sold, but sometimes spots are missed.
In brown eggs, the spots can slip through the cracks more easily because the shells are more opaque, and heavier breeds (the breeds that produce brown eggs) produce more eggs with spots.
Blood spots are also more likely to occur in eggs from birds of “heavier breeds,” says Craig Coufal, associate professor and extension specialist at Texas A&M University Agriculture & Life Sciences Department of Poultry Science. “All brown egg breeds are heavier than a White Leghorn layer,” he told Quartz in an email, referring to the most common egg-laying hen breed in the US.
From Quartz
The same source goes on to say that free-range and organically raised chickens produce more eggs with spots than typical factory farmed eggs.
For cost reasons, some organic egg producers rely more on small grains like oats and barley, which are less expensive than corn. A diet made up of a lot of small grains, says Bruce, can cause blood spots. Plus, hens laying organic eggs can range outside, and are therefore exposed to changing temperatures, says O’Sullivan. That “could potentially elevate the incidence of blood spots in these production systems.”
So, buy white, non-organic eggs to avoid blood spots, but don't let spots keep you up at night. Free-range chickens may have more blood spots in their eggs, but for my own personal ethical reasons, I am loath to recommend against buying free-range.
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Quick Answer about "How to buy eggs to avoid dark specks"
So, buy white, non-organic eggs to avoid blood spots, but don't let spots keep you up at night. Free-range chickens may have more blood spots in their eggs, but for my own personal ethical reasons, I am loath to recommend against buying free-range. I only buy free range eggs and have never seen a blood spot on one.How do you get eggs without blood spots?
Since blood spots are a perfectly natural part of the egg laying process, there is no way to prevent this from happening.Why do my eggs have specks in them?
Blood spots are uncommon but can be found in both store-bought and farm-fresh eggs. They develop when tiny blood vessels in the hen's ovaries or oviduct rupture during the egg-laying process. Eggs with blood spots are safe to eat, but you can scrape the spot off and discard it if you prefer.What causes black specks in eggs?
Black or green spots inside the egg may be the result of bacterial or fungal contamination of the egg. If you come across an egg with black or green spots discard the egg. Off color egg whites, such as green or iridescent colors may be from spoilage due to bacteria.Why do my eggs have brown spots on the shell?
Brown spots occur on brown eggs (eggshell color depends on the breed of hen) when the egg spins too slowly as it passes through the oviduct of the hen. It's so common that these eggs even have their own nickname: "speckled" eggs (via Reader's Digest).ALL FORTUNES KEEP EASTER EGGS! HOW TO DO EVERY FORTUNES KEEP SECRET EASTER EGG IN WARZONE!
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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