Enhancement of nutraceutical value of table eggs through poultry feeding strategies

Abstract

A significant focus in the nutrition era has been oriented to nutraceutical and functional foods. The health promoting potential of such provisions is ascribed to nutrition and these constituents have useful properties playing important role for egg producers. The biological and nutraceutical importance of egg is often due to the active compounds. It holds various bioactive compounds having significant nutraceutical properties like antioxidant, antiallergenic, antiartherogenic, antimicrobial and cardioprotective. Antioxidants are important against many disorders like hypercholesterolemia and cardiovascular diseases. The growing attention on natural antioxidants has promoted researches in investigating new antioxidant sources having profitable prospective. Confirmation for the effectiveness of the enrichment of eggs with bioactive compounds by inclusion of plant-deriv ed m aterials in the diet of egg-producing poultry has been reviewed. This review study aims to discuss the antioxidant potential of natural substances used to enrich the eggs and highlight the importance of eggs as potential nutraceutical food. The evidence for health-promoting effects of enriched eggs has also been included.