Intérêt nutritionnel de l'oeuf en alimentation humaine

Abstract

The egg is a highly digestible source of proteins and lipids, which contains a large range of vitamins and minerals needed by humans. The amino acid content, perfectly balanced for human needs, classifies eggs amongst the highest nutritional value of protein sources. Egg lipids provide large amounts of unsaturated fatty acids and phospholipids. The major egg components show limited variability; it essentially depends on egg white/yolk ratio, which is largely controlled by the hen's age. On the contrary, large differences can be observed for egg content in fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and pigments. The influence of the hen's diet on egg composition for these elements enables the enrichment of eggs for human health benefit. For example, nutritional studies have demonstrated in humans the positive impact of consumption of unsaturated fatty acid enriched eggs; in addition, lutein and zeaxanthin are very efficiently absorbed by humans and highly available for the retina when provided by eggs. In addition, the negative image of the egg due to its high cholesterol content tends to be attenuated because the assumption of increased cardiovascular risk is not supported by the majority of epidemiological studies. One constrain to egg consumption is associated with allergenic proteins, and care should be taken especially for young children.