CHARACTERISTICS OF LOCAL GUINEA FOWL (NUMIDA MELEAGRIS, L.) EGGS IN BURKINA FASO

Eggs are an important source of animal protein for humans. However, their physico-chemical and nutritional characteristics vary across and within breeds. The aim of this study was to determine the physico-chemical and nutritional quality of 109 eggs from local guinea fowl (Numida Meleagris, L.) in Burkina Faso. For the that purpose, the following parameters were collected for each egg: egg weight albumen, yolk, and shell weights, egg length and width, pH, shape, and coloration of the shell and yolk. The physical parameter values analyzed showed that local guinea fowl lay small eggs with average weight of 34.91 g (± 3.33 g). The length and width were 46.95 ± 2.48 mm and 36.80 ± 1.09 mm, respectively. The egg a shape index was 0.79. The majority of eggs were oval in shape (90.83%) and reddish in color (70.64%). The albumen, yolk, and shell weighed on average 14.79 ± 3.47 g, 13.17 ± 2.28 g, and 5.95 ± 0.84 g respectively. The majority of eggs had a pH ranging between 9 and 10 for the yolk and around 7 for the albumen. The yolk had a light-yellow color with an average index of 4.66. Water and ash contents were higher in the albumen than in the yolk and while the dry matter content was higher in the yolk. These results, although limited in terms of the number of parameters studied, represent a very interesting basis for assessing the nutritional quality of local guinea fowl eggs consumed by Burkina Faso population.