Salted Egg Yolk
Salted egg yolk is the yolk of a duck egg that has been cured in salt until the water content falls, the salt content rises and the yolk proteins and lipoproteins aggregate into a firm, granular, deep orange sphere. Chicken eggs are cured the same way in some markets but duck eggs dominate the trade because their yolks are larger, higher in fat and give the sandy texture and oil release the product is bought for.
The change salt curing produces is physical rather than chemical. Sodium chloride migrates through the shell and albumen into the yolk, water migrates out, and the low density lipoprotein structures that hold the yolk fat in emulsion break down. The freed oil separates into visible droplets, which is why a properly cured yolk exudes oil when cut or baked, and the dehydrated protein matrix sets into the crumbly texture that distinguishes the ingredient from fresh yolk. Salt content in the finished yolk typically reaches 2 to 5 percent and moisture drops to around 30 to 40 percent.
It comes as whole cured yolks, chilled or frozen, as frozen liquid salted yolk, and as a spray dried powder. The whole yolk is used where visible inclusion matters, the liquid and powder where it is blended into a sauce or a filling.
We source bulk Salted Egg Yolk from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturers are in Guangdong. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
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- Function
- Protein
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Firm spherical yolk, deep orange to red orange, granular on cutting |
| Odour and Taste | Characteristic cured egg odour, distinctly salty |
| Unit Weight (whole yolk) | Graded in bands from 10 g to 20 g, tolerance plus or minus 1 g |
| Salt as Sodium Chloride | 2.0 to 5.0 percent |
| Moisture | Not more than 40.0 percent |
| Fat | Not less than 28.0 percent |
| Protein | Not less than 14.0 percent |
| Oil Exudation on Baking | Visible oil release, conforms to reference sample |
| Surface Discolouration | Free from green or grey sulphide ring |
| Sudan Dyes | Not detected |
| Lead | Not more than 0.2 mg/kg |
| Arsenic | Not more than 0.5 mg/kg |
| Total Plate Count | Not more than 10000 cfu/g |
| Yeast and Mould | Not more than 100 cfu/g |
| E. coli | Negative in 1 g |
| Salmonella | Negative in 25 g |
Common Markets Grades
Whole cured yolks are graded principally on weight, with the trade running in bands of roughly two grams from about 10 grams to 20 grams and upward, because a mooncake or a rice dumpling recipe is built around a yolk of a fixed size. Beyond weight, buyers specify colour depth on a yolk colour fan, oil exudation on baking, the absence of green or grey sulphide discolouration at the yolk surface, and firmness. Vacuum packed cooked yolks and raw cured yolks are separate items, the cooked ones sold ready to place in a filling.
Processed presentations are graded on composition rather than size. Frozen liquid salted yolk is specified on salt, moisture and fat and is used in sauce and bakery lines. Salted egg yolk powder is spray dried and specified on salt, moisture, fat and particle size, and is the format used in seasoning blends, crisps and instant sauces, where it replaces the labour of handling whole yolks. A separate class of compound salted yolk sauce products blends the yolk with butter, oil and starch and is traded as a formulated seasoning rather than as an egg product.
Applications
- Mooncake fillings, where a whole cured yolk sits at the centre of the lotus seed or bean paste
- Salted egg yolk rice dumplings, wrapped with glutinous rice and pork for the dragon boat festival trade
- Salted egg yolk sauces for stir fried prawns, crab and pumpkin, where the crumbled yolk emulsifies into butter
- Flavoured crisps, extruded snacks and coated nuts, using the powder as a seasoning
- Bakery fillings and custards, where the yolk contributes colour, salt and a savoury note
- Instant noodle and rice bowl seasoning sachets, as a dried flavour component
- Frozen dim sum such as custard buns and egg yolk lava products
- Ice cream and dessert flavours in the Chinese and Southeast Asian markets
- Retail sale as a cured whole egg eaten with congee
Brands Using Salted Egg Yolk
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Salted Egg Yolk on the ingredient label.
- KintrySalted Egg Yolk Potato Crisps ↗Hand cooked potato crisps whose ingredient list names salted duck egg yolks second, after US russet potatoes.Label verified 2026-08-31
- IRVINSSalted Egg Potato Chips ↗Potato chips coated in a salted egg mix with curry leaves and chili, with salted egg listed third in the ingredient panel.Label verified 2026-08-31
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Salted Egg Yolk
Top Salted Egg Yolk manufacturers in China.
Guangdong Dongze Food Technology Co., Ltd.6 ingredients in the directory- Guangzhou Noyee Food Co., Ltd.1 ingredient in the directory
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
In the United States processed egg products are regulated by the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the Department of Agriculture under the Egg Products Inspection Act, which requires continuous inspection of egg breaking and processing plants and mandatory pasteurisation of liquid, frozen and dried egg products. A salted yolk product that has been broken out and processed falls under that framework, and imported egg products must come from a country and establishment certified as equivalent. Shell eggs, including cured whole eggs still in shell, sit instead with the Food and Drug Administration under the shell egg safety rule. Egg is a major food allergen requiring declaration.
In the European Union egg products are covered by the hygiene rules for food of animal origin, which set the requirements for egg breaking establishments, prohibit the use of cracked eggs for egg products, and require heat treatment or another approved process. Consignments from third countries may only enter from listed establishments in approved countries under the official controls framework. Egg is a listed allergen under the food information regulation. Salt cured egg has no Codex commodity standard of its own, and the relevant references are the Codex code of hygienic practice for eggs and egg products and the general standard for contaminants.
Manufacturing Process
Curing starts from clean, uncracked duck eggs that are candled to reject blood spots and thin shells. Two methods are in commercial use. In salt mud curing the eggs are coated in a paste of salt, clay or ash and water and held for around 25 to 40 days, with the coating maintaining a constant salt concentration at the shell surface. In brine curing the eggs are submerged in a saturated or near saturated sodium chloride solution, sometimes with added rice wine, and held for a similar period, which is easier to control and to automate. Curing rooms are held at a stable temperature because the rate of salt penetration and water loss depends on it.
Cured eggs are washed, cracked and the yolk is separated from the salted albumen, which is recovered separately for use in noodle and processed food applications. Whole yolks are rinsed, sometimes sprayed with rice wine or edible oil to control surface odour and colour, then either packed raw and frozen or baked at around 150 to 180 degrees Celsius for a short time to set the surface and drive off residual moisture before vacuum packing. For liquid and powder grades the separated yolks are pooled, homogenised, pasteurised and then either frozen in blocks or spray dried, with the powder sieved and packed with a moisture barrier.
