Comparative Analysis of Egg Yolk Fatty Acid and Phospholipid Composition by Breeding Type in Ogye and White Leghorn

This study aimed to characterize the nutritional attributes of eggs derived from native Korean chicken breeds and their crossbreeds, thereby assessing their potential applications in the food industry. The fatty acid, cholesterol, and phospholipid composition of egg yolks were analyzed in four groups of laying hens: the native Ogye breed (OO), White Leghorn breed (LL), and their reciprocal crossbreeds (OL and LO). Yolks from the OO and OL groups, both sired by Ogye, exhibited a significantly higher ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids (<i>P</i>&lt;0.05), ranging from 1.91 to 1.94 (<i>P</i>&lt;0.05), compared to those from the LL and LO groups, which ranged from 1.69 to 1.75, where White Leghorn was the paternal line. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid, was more abundant in the OO (236.4 mg/100 g), OL (207.9 mg/100 g), and LO (218.5 mg/100 g) groups than in the LL group (156.0 mg/100 g). LL yolks (671.8 mg/100 g) contained the lowest cholesterol content compared to the other groups (708.0—722.3 mg/100 g). Phospholipid profiling revealed that OO and OL possessed higher total phospholipid and phosphatidylcholine (PC) contents relative to LL and LO.