EVALUATION OF DIFFERENT CHEMICAL COMPOSITIONS IN EGGS OF THE HERMANN'S TORTOISE (Testudo hermanni).

In this study, Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni boettgeri) eggs were studied. The aim was to evaluate the basic composition, amino and fatty acid profiles, as well as the presence of certain trace elements in the eggs. The average size of THB eggs was 29.9 × 39.5 mm and weight 20.7 g. The shell accounted for 12.5 %, albumen 46.9 % and yolk 40.6 % of the entire THB egg. The refractive index was 1.3341 in the albumen and 1.5120 in the yolk. The albumen contained 98.2 % water, 0.9 % proteins, 0.7 % ash and traces of fat. The yolk contained 60.6 % water, 21.0 % protein, 14.2 % fat, and 4.0 % ash. The pH of albumen was 8.8. The fatty acid composition was measured in egg yolk; oleic acid, palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid and, vaccenic acid were the most abundant. The amino acid composition was measured in egg albumen, and 18 amino acids were detected. The major amino acids present in albumen were glutamic acid, aspartic acid, leucine, phenylalanine, lysine, glycine, serine, threonine, and alanine. Concentrations of the trace elements, in descending order were in the shell: iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), arsenic (As) and selenium (Se); in the albumen: Fe, Cu, Cr, Se; and in the yolk: Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Se, Cr, Ni, Pb, Co. The purpose was to determine the chemical composition the of eggs, which can be used as a basic study for further comparison with free-living tortoises, and also as a comparison for the possible impact of environmental pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]