Egg Of The Matter

Entepreneurs are experimenting with hen feed to produce premium eggs that appeal to fitness freaks

- Meenakshisushma

TANU MEHRA, a Bengaluru homemaker, is a regular customer of Happy Hens Farm located in Perambalur, Trichy. Mehra, who buys 30 eggs weekly containing six per carton, is satisfied with the bigger size, better taste and golden yellow yolk colour. “Though priced at R150 for six, these eggs low in cholesterol and rich in omega 3, protein and carotenoids are an ideal choice for cakes and cookies.” Rajat Mendhi, a Mumbai resident, is also a Happy Hens customer due to its hard-shelled eggs, which are less prone to breakage.

Whether you like it boiled, poached or sunny-side up, eggs are wholesome food, but their high cholesterol content and fishy odour often put off health connoisseurs and vegetarians. Keeping this in mind, brands like Suguna Foods, Kansal Agro and Happy Hens Farm are producing odourless, low cholesterol eggs enriched with omega 3 fatty acids as part of their initiative to promote functional foods and earn big cash.

Spoilt for choice

The drive started with M L Kansal, a former professor in animal science from Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University in Ludhiana. After retiring in the late 1990s, he developed odourless omega 3-rich eggs, which he named Hoava Omega-3 in 2013, after a five-year research. Today, Hoava eggs priced at R100 for six pieces are available at major retail outlets under his brand Kansal Agro. According to Kansal, feeding his hens flaxseed, a rich source of omega 3 fatty acids, and a combination of 12 herbs, including neem and basil leaves, helped remove the odour.