Parts of an egg

How is an egg made of?

How many parts does an egg have?

The major parts of an egg are:

  • The shell (3) or outer packaging, which is responsible for protecting the contents inside.

  • The yolk (1) which is located inside the egg, usually in pellet form and which provides nutrients to the chicken. It is surrounded by the vitelline membrane (7). At the top, we have the blastodisc (6) consisting of several layers of cells. In it it is produced the development of embryonic cells when the egg is fertilized.

  • The white (2) that is a liquid is located between the eggshell and the egg yolk. It is rich in protein and water. It is surrounded externally by the inner membrane (8). The egg white provide protection to the egg and additional nutrients to the egg yolk for the chicken

Parts of an egg

Drawing of the different parts of an egg

Other parts of an egg

There are other lesser-known parts of the egg, which also help to protect them, such as:.

  • The air chamber (4) is found between the shell and the white and it is sees if we boil an egg and then proceed to withdraw the shell.A boiled egg always has an “empty space” that prevents the egg white to be fully oval. This space is the air chamber and its size will vary depending on the freshness of the egg, being higher as fresher the egg is.

  • Enzymes: those found inside the egg white along with proteins.

  • The chalazas (5) (two filamentlike whitish colored cords and relatively thin, which hold the yolk in the center of the egg to avoid possible damage from shock.

*Related information:

Egg yolk characteristics

Egg shell

Eggshell properties

Eggshell decoration

Egg white

punto rojo More information on eggs.

This article was endorsed by Elisenda Carballido - Dietitian nutritionist. Postgraduate in Phytotherapy and master in Nutrition and Metabolism.
Editorial
Written by Editorial Botanical-online team in charge of content writing

22 April, 2019

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