[northfifeduckling]

I've  occasionally had an egg with a strange greenish colour of egg white from my duck eggs. Usually I bin them (just in case it's some kind of bacterial contamination) but today my daughter was making pancakes and I noticed the colour on the inside of the shell when tidying the kitchen. All smelled ok - is there reason for concern (hopefully everything was killed during cooking...)?

[Fluffywelshsheep]

not sure f this is what you mean

but got this

GREEN--The greenish ring around a hard-boiled egg yolk is due to an iron and sulfur compound that forms when eggs are overcooked, not cooled quickly, or are prepared with water that is high in iron. Concentric green rings inside a cooked yolk are probably formed because the hen's feed or water contained iron. In both cases, the green color is harmless and safe to eat.

http://www.bfhd.wa.gov/edu/eggucation.php#waatdc

also  here

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/BlueGreenEggWhite.htm

Question:

Can you please explain why a brown "free range" chicken egg that I hard-boiled had a blue-green colored "egg-white".  I cut it in half and it was blue-green all the way through to the yolk, which was golden, but tinged with blue-green around the edge. I ate half of this egg before it dawned on me that this might not be just some unusual feature of "free range" eggs.

Can you also telling me if floating an egg in water is an accurate test of whether it is okay to eat it.  I have been told that if it floats it is bad; sinks means it is okay. - Chris (7/19/05)

 

Answers:

The harmless greenish ring is due to an iron and sulfur compound which forms when eggs are overcooked or not cooled quickly.

Green ring around yolk:  Caused by iron of the yolk combining with sulfur of the white.  It is due to overcooking.  Stopping cooking by rinsing in cold water or the ice treatment usually prevents the ring.

[northfifeduckling]

thanks for looking it up , Linz - but it's the raw egg white I'm concerned about

[Fluffywelshsheep]

try this http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Science/Question240696.html

doesn't say ifi's safe to eat or not but basicay down to diet



why does the white of a raw egg look green and is it safe to eat?

askmum  Sun 28/05/06 01:40


Postdog
Sun 28/05/06
01:57
   
   
I wouldn't!!
Clanad
Sun 28/05/06
02:00
   
   
If you boil eggs too long or use heat that’s too high, it will make a green ring around the yolk. This is okay to eat, but it doesn’t look very nice. Boiling at a lower temperature will solve the problem...or place the eggs in an ice-water bath when the eggs have cooked the proper amount of time.
askmum
Sun 28/05/06
05:37
   
   

Question Author

I meant the white sometimes has a green tinge before its cooked and its still within the use by date!

SteveD
Sun 28/05/06
07:18
   
   

Probably because raw egg white is not completely colourless plus the effect of ambient light, reflection, refraction etc.

If the egg has been stored in appropriate conditions and is not past its eat by date, I would eat it.

Vimto
Sun 28/05/06
09:50
Excellent Rating
   
   
It could well be associated with the chicken's diet. This is more likely to occur if they are free-range when hens can forage for different food. Chlorophyl, if eaten in sufficient quantities especially in Spring, can make the white of an egg greeny colour. I've seen a similar effect in geese who were fed a diet of carrots one Winter when not only their eggs became pink but the geese themselves took on a pinky colour. In the same way flamingoes turn pink after eating shrimps.
rojash
Sun 28/05/06
15:34
   
   
As a follow-up to Vimto's highly informative reply, you may find this interesting:

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/010518.htm l

askmum
Mon 29/05/06
04:31
   
   

Question Author

Thank you, yes i think you might be right about the feed, ive been doing a little searching and it could be due to high levels of riboflavin (B6) in feed and in fresh eggs its not a bad thing, just doesnt look too good.

shammydodger
Mon 29/05/06
10:08
   
   

Rojash

That link is interesting. If true, then it yet again shows up the programme "QI" for its lack of research, since Stephen Fry was armed with the claim that no flamingoes are pink due to eating shrimp. He said it was due solely to eating algae.