Is It Safe to Eat Boiled Eggs With Green Rings Around the Yolk? A Food Expert Weighs In
We've always wondered... It's really disappointing when you cut into one. boiled egg And notice a green ring around the yolk. However, what leads to this discoloration, and is the egg still safe to consume? What Leads to a Green Ring Around the Egg Yolk? A green ring occasionally observed surrounding the yolk of a hard-cooked egg occurs due to a chemical interaction between the sulfur present in the egg white and the iron contained within the yolk, explains Alexandra Kazaks, PhD, who is part of the Nutrition Division at the Institute of Food Technologists. This process generates ferrous sulfide, which has a greenish-gray hue. The band typically forms along the boundary where the yolk and the white come into contact. This reaction typically occurs when the eggs are not particularly fresh or if they have been overcooked. As explained by Kazaks, "The extended cooking time and higher temperatures enhance the intensity of both the sulfur and iron reactions....