During storage, irreversible changes occur
in eggs, resulting in a decline in their quality, predomi-
nantly affecting the albumen. Ovomucoid, a major pro-
tein found in egg white, belongs to the Kazal-type serine
proteinase inhibitors and serves to protect the embryo
from microorganisms. Notably, in chicken eggs, it is a sig-
nificant allergen. There is a possibility that its polymor-
phism also influences the quality and stability of table
eggs. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the potential
effect of polymorphism in the ovomucoid gene and pro-
tein on quality changes during the storage of eggs derived
from 2 strains of Japanese quail, encompassing various
utility types. Eggs from selected females of laying and
meat-type breeds were stored for 14 wk, with egg quality
traits assessed 10 times during this duration. DNA was
isolated from each female, and sequencing was conducted
on all exons of the ovomucoid gene. In total, 5 SNPs were
identified in exons and adjacent intronic sequences, with
SNP1 (13:12355585), SNP4 (13:12356594), and SNP5
(13:12358538) leading to amino acid substitutions in the
ovomucoid protein. Notably, all SNPs except SNP5 were
identified in the ovomucoid gene of Japanese quail for the
first time. The results demonstrated that in the F33
strain, SNP1, SNP3, and SNP4 exhibited significant asso-
ciations with egg weight, whereas in the S22 strain, SNP5
significantly affected yolk color and various eggshell qual-
ity traits, including eggshell weight, eggshell thickness,
and breaking strength, throughout the storage period.
Furthermore, a haplotype block containing 2 SNPs (3
and 4) was identified, exhibiting 2 distinct haplotypes
that significantly affected egg weight, eggshell weight,
and breaking strength at various storage time points dur-
ing egg quality analyses. These findings provide novel
insights into the genetic basis of egg quality during stor-
age and have the potential to be integrated into breeding
programs for these strains.