Does the color of an egg yolk have any significance?

Chicken yolks come in a variety of colors. While some may appear pale yellow, others can be a deep orange, almost resembling red. 

But what does it mean? Are egg yolks like lettuce, where a darker color indicates more nutrients?

Fox News Digital consulted with an egg specialist to uncover the truth. 

According to cookbook author and backyard chicken specialist Lisa Steele, the hue of a chicken yolk is "entirely influenced by the diet of the hen," as she explained to Fox News Digital. 

Steele, who lives in Maine, is the creator of Fresh Eggs Daily, a website about raising chickens. She is also the author of "The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook." 

"Foods that are high in xanthophyll and carotene, which are basically pigments called carotenoids, will make nice dark orange egg yolks," she said. 

She mentioned that carotene can be found in foods that are orange in color, including carrots, mangoes, cantaloupe, and pumpkins. 

Xanthophyll is present in leafy greens such as spinach and kale. 

However, a darker egg yolk doesn't necessarily indicate that a chicken is consuming a healthy, organic, or fresh diet. "It probably has a correlation, as the foods containing the pigment are often rich in other nutrients," she explained. 

Even so, feed companies and commercial egg farms have discovered workarounds to create a darker egg yolk without these nutrient-dense foods, Steele said.