The objective of this study was to evaluate consumer habits as well as the sensory perception and characteristics of farm eggs produced in Los Ríos, Chile. Data were collected from an online survey of 197 respondents and a sensory evaluation carried out by 30 untrained panelists of 4 types of eggs (brown-shell and blue-shell eggs acquired from family farms, free-range eggs acquired from large, industrial systems, and white-shell cage eggs from industrial, cage systems.) To evaluate differences and preferences, data were analyzed in a GLM. In addition, sensory evaluation was analyzed using principal component analysis. In accordance with the survey, 99% of the participants eat eggs (P < 0.001), 58% eat 1 to 3 eggs/wk, and 84% declared to consume eggs at home ( 0.05) in the evaluated parameters. There was a consequence in the information given from surveyed consumers and the sensory panel with the yolk color.

Context: Brassica forages are used in times of seasonal shortage to fulfil nutritional requirements of beef cattle, dairy cows, sheep or pigs. Although brassicas have been reported with high concentrations of readily fermentable carbohydrate, details have not been fully described and there is little information about the non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) profiles of Brassica forages. Aim: The study was designed to evaluate nutrient concentrations, as well as NSC levels and constituents, of the main Brassica forages and to determine differences among varieties. Methods: Five varieties of each of the four main forage brassicas (summer turnip, forage rape, kale and swede) were grown in plots and harvested for chemical analysis of the nutrient concentrations and NSC profiles of leaf and bulb (turnip and swede) and leaf and stem (rape and kale) components. Key results: Brassica species differed in the amounts and types of NSC; swede had the highest concentration of NSC, mainly comprising sugars (glucose and fructose), followed by kale (with similar proportions of glucose, sucrose and fructose), turnip (with similar concentrations of glucose and starch and slightly lower fructose), and forage rape (in which starch was the main NSC). Forage chemical composition and NSC profile of plant organs varied among varieties of individual Brassica forages; for example, there were significant differences among swede varieties for concentrations of starch and sugar (total and profile) in bulbs. Conclusions: Brassica forages differed with respect to quantities and types of NSC; swede had higher concentrations, mainly composed of glucose and fructose, followed by kale with similar proportions of glucose, sucrose and fructose, and turnip with NSC represented by glucose, starch and slightly lower fructose; and finally, forage rape, in which starch was the main NSC. Chemical composition, as well as NSC profile of plant organs (leaves, bulbs or stems), varied among varieties of Brassica species. Implications: The approach described here has implications for ration formulation and is useful when considering the nutritional and dietary requirements of the animals of interest, because the type of Brassica, the variety and the proportion of plant organs can affect animal performance.