n-3 enrichment of chicken meat. 2. Use of precursors of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids: linseed oil

Department of Ciencia Animal i dels Ailments, Facultat de Veterinaria, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain.

To assess the effect of supplying linseed oil (LO) in the diet on performance, fatty acid (FA) composition, and quality objective parameters of broiler meat, diets enriched with 0, 2, or 4% LO plus tallow (T) up to 8% added fat (T1, T2, and T3, respectively) were given to broiler chickens throughout a 38-d growth period. T3 birds were slaughtered at 24 or at 52 d of age to study the effect of feeding time on FA accumulation in tissue. Objective and subjective evaluations of meat quality were performed on samples from 38-d-old birds, and the FA profiles of thigh and liver samples were determined. Performance parameters showed little difference between treatments. The differences in carcass yield values or in the objective quality parameters of the meat between treatments were not significant. Increased levels of LO clearly decreased the saturated (SAT) and monounsaturated FA (MUFA) contents. LO increased the amount of polyunsaturated FA (PUFA), mainly because of the linolenic (LNA) and linoleic (LA) acid content in the T3 samples, but they hardly reflected the wide range given in the experimental diets. The n-3 long-chain (LC) PUFA content of T3 thighs was slightly higher than in T1 thighs. Unexpectedly, longer feeding time of LO diets did not result in peripheral tissue accumulation of n-3 LC-PUFA, although chickens could convert LNA to longer-chain metabolites in liver at 24 d of age.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				H. Tang, Y. Z. Gong, C. X. Wu, J. Jiang, Y. Wang, and K. Li Variation of meat quality traits among five genotypes of chicken Poult. Sci., October 1, 2009; 88(10): 2212 - 2218. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Betti, T. I. Perez, M. J. Zuidhof, and R. A. Renema Omega-3-enriched broiler meat: 3. Fatty acid distribution between triacylglycerol and phospholipid classes Poult. Sci., August 1, 2009; 88(8): 1740 - 1754. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. L. Palmquist Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Metabolism, Health, and Nutrition and for Modified Animal Product Foods Professional Animal Scientist, June 1, 2009; 25(3): 207 - 249. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. J. Zuidhof, M. Betti, D. R. Korver, F. I. L. Hernandez, B. L. Schneider, V. L. Carney, and R. A. Renema Omega-3-enriched broiler meat: 1. Optimization of a production system Poult. Sci., May 1, 2009; 88(5): 1108 - 1120. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Farhoomand and S. Checaniazer Effects of graded levels of dietary fish oil on the yield and fatty acid composition of breast meat in broiler chickens J. Appl. Poult. Res., January 1, 2009; 18(3): 508 - 513. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. I. P. Ponte, J. A. M. Prates, J. P. Crespo, D. G. Crespo, J. L. Mourao, S. P. Alves, R. J. B. Bessa, M. A. Chaveiro-Soares, L. T. Gama, L. M. A. Ferreira, et al. Restricting the Intake of a Cereal-Based Feed in Free-Range-Pastured Poultry: Effects on Performance and Meat Quality Poult. Sci., October 1, 2008; 87(10): 2032 - 2042. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. I. P. Ponte, J. A. M. Prates, J. P. Crespo, D. G. Crespo, J. L. Mourao, S. P. Alves, R. J. B. Bessa, M. A. Chaveiro-Soares, L. M. A. Ferreira, and C. M. G. A. Fontes Improving the Lipid Nutritive Value of Poultry Meat Through the Incorporation of a Dehydrated Leguminous-Based Forage in the Diet for Broiler Chicks Poult. Sci., August 1, 2008; 87(8): 1587 - 1594. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. I. P. Ponte, S. P. Alves, R. J. B. Bessa, L. M. A. Ferreira, L. T. Gama, J. L. A. Bras, C. M. G. A. Fontes, and J. A. M. Prates Influence of Pasture Intake on the Fatty Acid Composition, and Cholesterol, Tocopherols, and Tocotrienols Content in Meat from Free-Range Broilers Poult. Sci., January 1, 2008; 87(1): 80 - 88. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]