Origin and impact of color on consumer preference for food

There are great differences among species in the way pigment is deposited on the skin or in the egg yolk. Xanthophyll-type compounds produce the color. Consumers have associated a yellow color with a normal state of health. Many consumers insist on the color and indicate that increased cost is not much of a deterrent. At present, increasing the pigmenting properties of a poultry feed increases costs from $5 to $15/ton. Pigmentation is more costly in the fish industry and may increase the cost of the diet up to or over $100/ton, especially in the final 20% of the feed consumed before processing. The pigmentation should be consistent and uniform in both species. A history of high-pigment broilers is presented. High-pigment broilers lend themselves to effective television advertising.