Table 4.
Effects of dietary sulfur on egg composition and egg quality in laying hens (n = 8).
| Item | CONT 1 | MSM | SS | SEM 2 | p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 weeks | |||||
| Relative yolk weight, % | 26.14 | 25.60 | 25.62 | 0.28 | 0.339 |
| Relative eggshell weight, % | 9.91 | 10.07 | 10.15 | 0.11 | 0.338 |
| Relative albumen weight, % | 63.94 | 64.39 | 64.21 | 0.29 | 0.574 |
| Yolk color | 6.00 | 6.02 | 6.03 | 0.06 | 0.952 |
| Haugh unit | 76.3 a | 78.7 a | 72.8 b | 0.97 | 0.003 |
| Eggshell strength, kg/cm2 | 4.90 | 4.99 | 4.89 | 0.20 | 0.919 |
| Eggshell thickness, mm | 0.43 | 0.43 | 0.43 | 0.00 | 0.560 |
| Eggshell color, unit | 28.36 | 27.89 | 27.23 | 0.76 | 0.651 |
| 8 weeks | |||||
| Relative yolk weight, % | 26.67 | 26.07 | 26.32 | 0.26 | 0.311 |
| Relative eggshell weight, % | 9.94 | 9.96 | 10.15 | 0.12 | 0.515 |
| Relative albumen weight, % | 63.38 | 63.95 | 63.52 | 0.29 | 0.417 |
| Yolk color | 6.75 | 6.60 | 6.66 | 0.09 | 0.551 |
| Haugh unit | 76.7 | 76.1 | 73.7 | 0.91 | 0.107 |
| Eggshell strength, kg/cm2 | 4.82 | 4.74 | 4.47 | 0.15 | 0.308 |
| Eggshell thickness, mm | 0.41 | 0.42 | 0.42 | 0.00 | 0.452 |
| Eggshell color, unit | 27.37 | 28.00 | 27.04 | 0.51 | 0.501 |
| 12 weeks | |||||
| Relative yolk weight, % | 25.88 | 25.43 | 25.72 | 0.29 | 0.572 |
| Relative eggshell weight, % | 9.96 | 9.90 | 10.15 | 0.09 | 0.265 |
| Relative albumen weight, % | 64.14 | 64.67 | 63.88 | 0.32 | 0.311 |
| Yolk color | 6.80 | 6.70 | 6.95 | 0.10 | 0.309 |
| Haugh unit | 75.4 | 77.5 | 74.9 | 1.00 | 0.238 |
| Eggshell strength, kg/cm2 | 4.56 | 4.62 | 4.66 | 0.11 | 0.974 |
| Eggshell thickness, mm | 0.42 | 0.40 | 0.41 | 0.01 | 0.307 |
| Eggshell color, unit | 28.91 | 28.20 | 26.68 | 0.80 | 0.228 |
a, b Means value without a common superscript within the same row differ (p < 0.05). 1 CONT, basal diet; MSM, basal diet + methyl sulfonyl methane; SS, basal diet + sodium sulfate. 2 SEM, standard error of the mean.