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Building a Better Egg - Lowering PUFA at a Lower Cost

written by

Dustin Schnabel

posted on

March 2, 2026

When people think about egg quality, they usually focus on freshness or how the hens are raised. Those things matter. But there’s another factor that’s just as important and often overlooked: the type of fat in the egg yolk—and where it comes from.

Egg yolks are rich in fat, and unlike many foods, that fat closely reflects what the hen eats. Change the feed, and the egg changes with it—often within days. That makes feed choices one of the most powerful tools a farmer has.

Not All Fats Act the Same

Dietary fats generally fall into three groups:

  • Saturated fats – stable, traditional fats
  • Monounsaturated fats – like oleic acid, the primary fat in olive oil
  • Polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) – including omega-6 fats such as linoleic acid

Polyunsaturated fats are essential in small amounts. The challenge is that modern diets already contain far more omega-6 than humans historically consumed, and these fats are more prone to oxidation and instability.

Because eggs are a concentrated source of fat, the type of fat in the yolk matters

How Feed Shapes the Egg

Most modern laying hens are fed grain-heavy rations high in corn and conventional soy. These grains are naturally higher in omega-6 fats, which means more omega-6 shows up in the yolk.

Hens don’t “filter” fats the way ruminant animals do. The fats they eat largely become the fats in the egg.

1-20-fatty-acids-comp-for-article.jpeg
The use of olive oil in chicken feed is common in many low-PUFA blends. We are able to achieve nearly identical results with high oleic beans -- at a fraction of the cost. Not only that, we grow them! 


The Direction We’re Moving

As part of our ongoing work, we are intentionally adjusting our grain ration to improve the quality of fat in our eggs.

Two changes matter most:

  1. Reducing corn, which contributes a disproportionate amount of omega-6
  2. Integrating high-oleic soybeans, which are much higher in monounsaturated fat (oleic acid) and lower in omega-6 than conventional soy

Oleic acid is the same fat that gives olive oil its stability and reputation for compatibility with human physiology. Shifting egg fat in that direction means less omega-6 dominance and more stable yolks.

This isn’t about eliminating fat. It’s about improving fat quality.

Doing This in a Way People Can Actually Afford

We also want to be clear about something that often gets left out of these conversations: economics matter.

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Our high-oleic soybeans are grown right here in Ohio and are organic certified. What's more - our use of cover cropping takes "organic" to the next level by keeping soil protected and the life in the soil well fed with residual plant matter

Many low-PUFA eggs on the market today achieve their results by removing both corn and soy entirely. While effective, those systems often produce eggs that sell for $15 per dozen or more, placing them out of reach for many families.

Our approach is different. We are working to improve fatty acid balance through smarter ingredient selection and better formulation, rather than simply removing major feed components regardless of cost. By reducing omega-6 inputs where they matter most and replacing them with more stable fat sources, we can move egg quality in the right direction without making eggs a luxury item.

Our Goal

To steadily move toward an egg with better fat balance, better stability, and better alignment with how the human body actually uses food—while keeping those eggs financially accessible to more people, not fewer.

That’s what we mean when we say we’re working toward building a better egg.

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