Effect of storage on n-3 PUFA-enriched eggs

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of simulated retail and home storage on the fatty acids, free amino acids and antioxidant activity in normal eggs and n-3 PUFA-enriched eggs. The proportion of PUFAs in n-3 PUFA-enriched eggs was higher than in normal eggs, and during storage, the proportion decreased from 24.40% to 21.92% and then increased to 25.86%, which may be due to lipid hydrolysis and oxidation. The proportion of total free amino acids significantly decreased during storage processing, but the changes observed during storage at 25ºC and 4ºC were not significantly different. Twenty four days of storage at 25ºC significantly reduced the total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), and increased the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values. Our results showed that the fatty acids and antioxidant activity in n-3 PUFA-enriched eggs are stable during storage at 4ºC for 24 d.