If the eggs are blue, they are not bad.

In general, we are used to seeing two colored eggs, or brown or white. However, sometimes we can get surprises with other colors as bright as greenish blue. Find blue eggs this can affect and make us think that they are not in good condition. However, this is just a mutation in chilean chicken breed which led to the accumulation in the shell of a large amount biliverdina greenish pigment derived from hemoglobin.

For many years, it was believed that these eggs could be more or less healthy than brown or white ones in a lifetime. It went from what they barely had cholesterol place bets, because in fact there were many more. Thus, his fame changed as established ideas changed. Today we know that in fact their nutritional value is not much different, except for the fact that they have a little more squirrels and more carotenoidswhich give it a more golden yolk. But the difference is very small.

Instead, they have advantages and disadvantages that make blue egg laying hens unique. On the one hand, these chickens tend to lay. fewer eggs. While others lay one egg daily, these often have one or more days between one egg and another. But on the other hand, its shell is thicker. This protects them from changes in humidity so they stay fresh longer.

The virus that gave us blue eggs

Studies done on blue eggs show that they are due to a mutation that occurred in Chilean chickens hundreds of years ago. And when it appears, the retrovirus is to blame for the mutation.

These are viruses whose genetic information is contained in RNA molecules. When they infect our cells, they have the ability to convert that RNA into DNA, the molecule in which we store our information. Thus, they can be inserted into our genetic material, producing mutations. After all, we already know that our genome it is a kind of book of letters containing the information that makes us who we are. If the new letters get in the way, all sorts of changes can happen, depending on where the insert was generated.

Talking about retroviruses may remind us of HIVbut not all are so dangerous. In fact, many of our traits are derived from mutations produced by our ancestors as a result of the insertion of these viruses into their genome. And the point is that if this letter change is positive, this new characteristic can eventually be chosen and persist over time. Sometimes this happens even when it is negative, as it is believed that some diseases are caused precisely by the presence of viruses that have been inserted into our genome. But that’s another matter.

Returning to the subject of blue eggs, a mutation caused by retroviruses accidentally led to the synthesis of a protein that contributes to this blue egg. accumulation of biliverdin in eggs. This must have caught the attention of poultry farmers who decided cross mutated chickensuntil the breed that is known today as the Araucan chicken was obtained.

nothing to be afraid of

Now there is something we need to be very clear about. If the eggs are blue today, it is due to the selection of this mutation. But already no trace of the virus. Blue eggs do not contain viruses, as do laying hens.

It’s just about another quirk, which has nothing to do with the state of the egg. In short, yes, blue eggs are safe to eat. They don’t spoil and, in fact, stay fresh longer. Therefore, if you drink one of a dozen, try to save it for the end and consume it last. But eat without fear.