Quail eggs by R.Borgacci

What are

What are quail eggs?

Quail eggs are the non- fertilized female germ cells of the Japanese quail - bird of the Galliformes biological order, the Phasianidae family, the subfamily Perdicinae, the genus Coturnix and the japonica species; also read "Quail as Food".

Quail eggs are foods of animal origin that have been part of the Italian gastronomic tradition for centuries. The first fundamental group of foods - foods rich in proteins with high biological value, specific minerals and vitamins - and, compared to hen ones, quail eggs provide a higher quantity of cholesterol, iron and potassium and water-soluble vitamins. of group B; the level of vitamin A and vitamin D is less significant. In the next section we will go into more detail.

Quail eggs lend themselves to most dietary regimens even if, due to their biological and chemical nature, they have a nutritional content that can make their consumption inadvisable in the case of certain diseases and conditions - especially hypercholesterolemia.

Very different from the much more common hen's eggs, they appear clearly smaller and of variegated color - light gray-beige dotted background. They do not even resemble goose, turkey, guinea fowl and ostrich eggs - the most consumed group of eggs in the world - which are even larger. A quail egg weighs about 20 g in shell and only 10 g scarce shelled; the total volume is, more or less, equal to 20% (1/5) of an average hen.

From the gastronomic point of view, the quail eggs are destined more or less to the same purposes as the others and are prepared with the same systems and cooking methods; obviously, being of limited dimensions, they are prepared with decidedly inferior times. It is also possible to eat them raw but, due to hygienic reasons, it is generally not recommended - even more during pregnancy, early childhood and in conditions of immunosuppression. Hard boiled quail eggs - especially for their decorative characteristics - and quail egg omelette are particularly popular, while intermediate preparations such as intermediate cooking - with firm egg white and soft yolk - are more problematic.

Quail eggs have the same shelf life as chicken ones. They can be kept out of the fridge but for a limited period of time and suggested in the package. When they are no longer fresh, they show a soft, brittle yolk - which breaks easily - an almost liquid egg white - no longer gelatinous - and a deflated and weak air chamber. The supply of quail eggs must occur on a regular basis; they can be found, especially during the activity of amateur hunting, even in the wild - as well as the eggs of duck, coot, moorhen, pheasant etc. In this case, for various reasons, it is however not recommended to collect them; briefly:

• Ethical reason: in many places in Italy the quails have decreased to disappear
• Food reason: it is almost certainly fertile eggs and unsuitable for the specific consumption of traditional eggs
• Hygienic reason: the chances are high that they can be contaminated - even superficially - by pathogenic micro-organisms such as salmonellae, coliforms etc.

Nutritional Properties

Nutritional properties of quail eggs

Quail eggs belong to the first fundamental food group - foods rich in high biological value proteins, specific vitamins and minerals.

They have a significant energy supply, mainly provided by lipids, followed by proteins and finally by very few carbohydrates. Fatty acids are mainly unsaturated, with a higher percentage of monounsaturated fats. Peptides have a high biological value - that is, they contain all the essential amino acids in the right proportions and quantities compared to the human protein model. The few carbohydrates present are soluble; it is basically a glucose monosaccharide.

Quail eggs do not contain fiber; instead they have a very high cholesterol level, even greater than 60% compared to that of chicken eggs - the sterol is enclosed only in the yolk. The purine content is moderate. The intake of amino acid phenylalanine is very high. The level of histamine is also contained but, on the other hand, the albumen is considered a highly histamine-free food. Gluten and lactose are absent.

Regarding the vitamin supply, quail eggs contain large quantities of water-soluble B-group molecules: thiamine (vit B1), riboflavin (vit B2), niacin (vit PP), pantothenic acid (vit B5), pyridoxine (vit B6 ), biotin (vit H or B8) - of which absorption can be compromised only if the eggs remain raw, due to the presence of the thermolabile anti-nutrient avidin - folates - they are not very abundant but they are however important, since they are missing in most foods of animal origin - cobalamin (vit B12). The vitamin level of the lipid-soluble is also noteworthy; in particular of retinol and equivalents (vit A and provitamin A or RAE), of calciferol (vit D) and of alpha tocopherol or tocotrienol (vit E). Note : compared to chicken eggs, quail eggs have on average more vitamins than group B and fewer vitamins D and A.

As far as the mineral profile is concerned, quail eggs have an excellent concentration of iron, phosphorus and zinc. The potassium level is less important and the calcium level is marginal.

Diet

Quail eggs in the diet

Quail eggs lend themselves to the diet of all healthy subjects, but in portions and with adequate consumption frequency. In case of overweight, it is advisable to eat them without adding seasoning fats, not even during cooking. For this purpose, cooking in water - hard-boiled eggs - is particularly useful.

Due to the significant intake of essential amino acids, quail eggs are recommended in the diet of those who have an increased need for these nutrients. This may be due to physiological or paraphysiological conditions, such as growth, pregnancy, breastfeeding, a reduced capacity for digestion or absorption due to old age, the practice of exceptionally intense and / or prolonged sports activities, etc. Or to diseases and inappropriate food behaviors that can provoke a state of malnutrition, for example: gastric resections, hypochloridria, intestinal resections, pathologies of the exocrine pancreas, general or specific malnutrition, etc.

The lipid profile of quail eggs is actually quite good. The excellent distribution of fatty acids - most of which are omega 9, omega 3 and omega 6 - would make them suitable for feeding against metabolic pathologies; furthermore, omega 3 and omega 6 are essential fats, which the body must necessarily replenish from the diet. Above all omega 3, they have a fundamental importance to say the least: they structure cell membranes, they are important for the nervous and ocular development of the fetus and the child, they help to decrease the depressive symptom in certain forms of neurosis, they favor the preservation of capacities cognitive in old age etc. However, quail eggs also contain an enormous amount of cholesterol - in the yolk. This is why, especially in the case of hypercholesterolemia, consumption must be very limited or even avoided. Keep in mind that a portion of 50 g of quail eggs contains as much as 140% of cholesterol compared to the recommended daily ration for a healthy subject, and up to 210% for that of hypercholesterolemic people.

Quail eggs lend themselves to the nutritional regime against lactose and gluten intolerance; they are also appropriate in case of hyperuricemia and a tendency to the formation of kidney stones of uric acid - renal lithiasis. On the contrary, they are not advisable for histamine intolerance; the egg white is in fact an istaminoliberatore food. The same applies to phenylketonuria, given the considerable presence of the amino acid phenylalanine contained in them.

The B vitamins have a mainly coenzymatic function; this is why quail eggs, which should be rich, can be considered a good source of nutrients that support the cellular functions of all tissues. The amount of cobalamin (vit B12) - lacking in the vegan diet and very important during pregnancy - is particularly noteworthy, as are folates, normally almost absent in foods of animal origin - these are also fundamental during gestation, but nevertheless thermolabile and therefore sensitive to cooking.

Retinol (vit A) is fundamental for the support of the visual, reproductive function and for cell differentiation; retinol-equivalent instead (RAE), are powerful antioxidants. Vitamin D (calciferol) is crucial for bone metabolism and the immune system. Note : we remind you that dietary sources of vitamin D are very rare. Alpha tocopherol or tocotrienol (vit E), is another very effective antioxidant factor.

Iron has the primary function of forming the heme group, present above all in the hemoglobin of red blood cells; a possible deficiency - more frequent in fertile, pregnant women, in malnourished and marathon runners - can cause iron deficiency anemia. Quail eggs are therefore useful in the prevention and treatment of this discomfort. The good quantity of zinc participates in supporting the production of certain enzymes responsible for the endogenous antioxidant action of the body. Phosphorus, which is hardly lacking in diet, is a necessary constituent of hydroxyapatite - a mineral of bone tissue - and phospholipids - abundant in cell membranes and nervous tissue. Potassium is an alkalizing mineral essential to the conduction of the neuromuscular signal; largely lost through sweating, urine and diarrhea, if deficient it can cause muscle cramps. A good supply is considered therapeutic in primary arterial hypertension. Quail eggs contain good percentages and, even if they are not among the primary nutritional sources, they nonetheless participate in covering specific needs.

For hygienic reasons, even if purchased from safe sources of supply, quail eggs are granted in the diet during pregnancy only cooked.

Quail eggs do not lend themselves to the vegan diet, while they are suitable for the vegetarian lacto-ovo philosophy; they should also be avoided in Hindu and Buddhist regimes. They have no contraindications for Judaism and Muslimism.

The average portion of quail eggs - as a dish - could be 100 g (about 150 kcal), but the impressive amount of cholesterol suggests that these are foods to be consumed from time to time.

Kitchen

How to cook quail eggs

Quail eggs are cooked exactly like hen, goose, duck, turkey, guinea fowl and ostrich eggs. The recipes are very numerous and take advantage of the cooking by conduction - boiled in their shells, drowned in water already shelled and sautéed in the oven - and by convection - in the oven.

Due to the extremely small size, very few people choose to eat it soft-boiled. Even being careful, it is difficult to break only one vertex of the small egg to soak the bread; with this system they can be very pleasant "to drink", to avoid leaving them raw.

On the contrary, the recipe for quail eggs and little botte is more widespread, requiring only the egg white to solidify, leaving the yolk liquid; the difference between the two recipes is that while the bazzotte eggs are cooked with the shell, the pochè are shelled first and are collected in special baking cups.

The quail egg omelette is famous, both in the pan and in the oven, on the basis of extra virgin olive oil or butter and sometimes enriched with other ingredients such as cherry tomatoes, courgettes, peppers, cheese etc.

With quail eggs you can also produce an excellent carbonara pasta, but the uses are greater in cold recipes, such as salads and mixed appetizers.

Conservation of quail eggs

Quail eggs are consumed exactly like other bird eggs. It is not necessary to keep them in the refrigerator, but it is advisable to pay attention to the expiry date or packaging marked on the packaging.

A quail egg that is no longer fresh can be identified by the following characteristics:

• Liquid albumen, no longer gelatinous
• Yolk no longer turgid, delicate and easily broken
• Inner tube of the shell deflated.

It is advisable to avoid the quail eggs collected in the wild. These, which do not come from the species C. japonica of breeding but from the C. coturnix in the wild, are potentially fertilized, do not respect any qualitative or hygienic standard. Moreover, since in recent years the Italian quail has suffered a drastic decline in the population, stealing eggs from a brood is to be considered an ethically incorrect behavior.

Wild caught eggs have a high risk of bacterial contamination. This, which may also depend on the animal's state of health, is also influenced by the surrounding environment. Ultimately, the eggshell may show an abnormal bacterial load - by variety or number of microorganisms - either by contact with faeces, or by contact with different animals such as rats, reptiles or other birds.