July 2, 2007

Indian town producing red eggs

By feeding chillies to hens, a small town in India has become known nationwide for producing red eggs.

When red oil (Oleoresin), a natural colouring, is extracted from Bvadagi chillies and mixed with poultry feed, the eggs hatched would be red in colour, said Shivanagowda, a chilli trader and president of the Haveri District Industrial Body.

Orders for the chili are already coming in from foreign countries. Its popularity stems from the fact it is less spicy than other chilies and have a deep-red colour.

These byadagi chillies are dried and stored in cold rooms with temperatures from 4-6 degree Celsius, which results in more Oleoresins from the chili.