Dietary palm oil alters the lipid stability of polyunsaturated fatty acid-modified poultry products

Department of Agricultural Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.

Laying hens were fed a high polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) diet with three levels [low (LPO, 0%), medium (MPO, 1.5%), and high (HPO, 3.5%)] of palm oil (PO) or a PUFA diet with tocopherol mix (control). Flax and fish oils were used as PUFA sources in all of the diets. Inclusion of tocopherols resulted in a lower (P < 0.05) thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in the control eggs in white and dark meats. Among the PO treatments, eggs from HPO diet had the lowest TBARS (P < 0.05). A higher (P < 0.05) TBARS was observed for eggs, meat, and liver from hens on the LPO diet. No difference was observed between the TBARS of LPO and MPO dark meat. The C22:6 n-3 fatty acid was lower (P < 0.05) in MPO and HPO eggs and the HPO white meat.