Quality and mineral composition of eggs from hens supplemented with copper-lysine chelate

The aim of study was to evaluate the quality of hen eggs influenced by supplementation of copper with lysine chelate (CHL). The material consisted of eggs from two groups of Hy-Line Brown laying hens aged 300 days. Group I, negative control (NC), did not receive any additives. The hens from group II were treated with CHL at a dose of 30 mg Cu L-1 with drinking water. After 4 weeks of supplementation, 60 eggs from each group were randomly collected for quality analysis. The characteristics of the whole egg and its individual elements (shell, yolk, and albumen) were evaluated. The supplementation of CHL increased the egg weight, as well as the weight and height of albumen. There were no changes in the shell strength parameters, and its darker color may increase potential consumer acceptance, but requires confirmation by sensory analysis of the eggs. The copper addition was relatively small, but even this dose caused some changes in egg quality. Little changes in the mineral composition of individual elements of the eggs have been reported. It is therefore very important to continue research to find the smallest effective dose of this micronutrient, to study the duration of time it should be given in order to obtain the best quality of eggs, and to minimize the mineral disorders in organisms.