Rare Chinese herb used to produce healthier chicken eggs

AP Nutripharm, a biotechnology firm, and egg producer Chew’s Agriculture say a chicken feed has been produced which resulted in eggs containing a key component in cordyceps sinensis, reputed to contain compounds that support healthy lung and kidney function and anti- cancer, anti-bacteria and anti-inflammatory properties.

“Initially, our idea was to come up with an alternative chicken feed additive for farmers who are facing higher feed costs as demand for corn and other raw materials have gone up,” said Nutripharm managing director Mark Xu. “But the farmers were looking to create eggs with more nutritional value,” he added.

Xu continues in saying that Nutripharm has devised a way to cultivate cordyceps sinensis on a large scale. The company owns a patent-approved technology that can cultivate cordycep sinensis in 9.5 days, compared with a year in nature, and the ingredients are being used as an additive in chicken feed.