Yolks - Composition of Chicken Egg Yolk

Composition of Chicken Egg Yolk

Chicken egg, yolk, raw, fresh
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 1,325 kJ (317 kcal)
Carbohydrates 3.59 g
Fat 26.54 g
Protein 15.86 g
- Tryptophan 0.177 g
- Threonine 0.687 g
- Isoleucine 0.866 g
- Leucine 1.399 g
- Lysine 1.217 g
- Methionine 0.378 g
- Cystine 0.264 g
- Phenylalanine 0.681 g
- Tyrosine 0.678 g
- Valine 0.949 g
- Arginine 1.099 g
- Histidine 0.416 g
- Alanine 0.836 g
- Aspartic acid 1.550 g
- Glutamic acid 0.595 g
- Glycine 0.488 g
- Proline 0.545 g
- Serine 1.326 g
Water 52.31 g
Vitamin A equiv. 381 μg (48%)
Thiamine (vit. B1) 0.176 mg (15%)
Riboflavin (vit. B2) 0.528 mg (44%)
Pantothenic acid (B5) 2.990 mg (60%)
Folate (vit. B9) 146 μg (37%)
Calcium 129 mg (13%)
Iron 2.73 mg (21%)
Magnesium 5 mg (1%)
Phosphorus 390 mg (56%)
Potassium 109 mg (2%)
Zinc 2.30 mg (24%)
Choline 682.3 mg
Cholesterol 1240 mg
One large egg contains 17 grams of yolk.
Percentages are relative to
US recommendations for adults.

The yolk makes up about 33% of the liquid weight of the egg; it contains approximately 60 calories, three times the caloric content of the egg white.

The yolk of one large egg (50 g total, 17 g yolk) contains approximately: 2.7 g protein, 210 mg cholesterol, 0.61 g carbohydrates, and 4.51 g total fat. (USDA National Nutrient Database)

All of the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) are found in the egg yolk. Egg yolk is one of the few foods naturally containing vitamin D.

The composition (by weight) of the most prevalent fatty acids in egg yolk is typically as follows:

  • Unsaturated fatty acids:
    • Oleic acid, 47%
    • Linoleic acid, 16%
    • Palmitoleic acid, 5%
    • Linolenic acid, 2%
  • Saturated fatty acids:
    • Palmitic acid, 23%
    • Stearic acid, 4%
    • Myristic acid, 1%

Egg yolk is a source of lecithin as well as egg oil for cosmetic and pharmaeutical applications.

The yellow color is due to lutein and zeaxanthin, which are yellow or orange carotenoids known as xanthophylls.

Read more about this topic:  Yolks

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