Because of the proposed cardioprotective benefits of n-3 fatty acids and vitamin E, a trial was carried out to investigate the possibility of enriching eggs with n-3 fatty acid and vitamin E added to the hen's diet. One hundred ninety-two Hy-Line Brown hens, 39-wk-old, were divided into eight groups: four groups received the basal diet supplemented with 3% lard and four doses of dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate (0, 50, 100, and 200 ppm), whereas the diets of the other groups were supplemented with 3% of fish oil and the same doses of vitamin E. The performances of the hens and egg weights were not affected either by the type of lipid supplement or by the vitamin level. The treatment with fish oil caused a dramatic increase (P < 0.01) of all n-3 fatty acids of the yolk, particularly EPA (19.53 vs. 0.74 mg/egg) and DHA (143.70 vs. 43.66 mg/egg), and an appreciable decrease of arachidonic acid (25.54 vs. 67.72 mg/egg). The different levels of dietary vitamin E slightly affected the fatty acid composition of the yolk. Yolk alpha-tocopherol increased linearly as dietary dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate increased (P < 0.01) from the control level of 90.93 microg/g of yolk to 313.84 microg/g of yolk when 200 ppm were added to the hen diets. Twenty-eight days of storage at room temperature (20 to 25 C) did not alter the yolk fatty acid profile, and, moreover, the levels of vitamin E remained still very close to those observed in fresh egg.

The characteristics of meat quality, chemical and fatty acid composition, from fast-growing (FG) and medium-growing (MG) meat-type and slow-growing (SG) egg-type chickens reared under organic conditions were compared. Three-hundred and sixty 1-day-old male chicks, equally divided into three experimental groups represented by strains (FG: Cobb 700, MG: Naked neck Kabir and SG: Brown Classic Lohman) were housed into three poultry houses with outdoor pasture availability of 10 m 2 /bird located in the same Research Centre of the University of Perugia. All the birds were fed ad libitum the same diets formulated according to the European Union (EU) Regulations by using organic raw materials. Birds from the FG and MG groups were raised until 81 days, whereas birds from the SG group were raised until 96 days in order to achieve an acceptable market live weight. SG birds showed significantly ( P , 0.01) higher breast meat drip and cook losses, Allo-Kramer shear values and collagen content. In comparison with FG and SG, MG exhibited a higher breast meat pH (5.86% v. 5.79% and 5.78%, respectively; P , 0.01) and a lower lightness (54.88% v. 57.81% and 56.98%, respectively; P , 0.05). Genotype dramatically affected the lipid content as well as the fatty acid composition of both breast and thigh meat. SG exhibited the lowest content of lipid, both in breast and in thigh meat, the lowest proportions of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and the highest proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). The total n-3 PUFA of SG breast meat was double that of FG meat and intermediate with respect to MG birds (8.07% v. 4.07% v. 5.14% total fatty acids; P , 0.01). The fatty acid composition of thigh meat is similar to that of breast meat, but the differences among genotypes are less pronounced. Total saturated fatty acids were not affected by the genotype. In conclusion, meat functional properties of FG and MG strains appeared much more attractive both for industry and consumer (lower drip and cook losses and higher tenderness), whereas from a nutritional point of view, meat from SG appeared healthier (less fat and higher content of n-3 PUFA) and thus might better fit with the consumer's expectations of organic products.

The influence of the season and market class of broiler chickens on breast meat quality traits was determined on a total of 18 flocks reared and processed under commercial conditions. According to the Italian poultry production system the following classes of birds were considered: light size (1.2 kg of carcass weight; n = 90) and medium size (1.8 kg of carcass weight; n = 90), represented by females slaughtered at 40 and 52 d old, respectively, whereas heavy size were 57-d-old male broilers (2.4 kg of carcass weight; n = 90). After slaughter, 15 carcasses per flock (n = 270) were randomly collected during winter (n = 135) and summer (n = 135) seasons and used at 24 h postmortem to determine breast (pectoralis major) meat color (lightness, redness, and yellowness), pH, drip and cook loss, as well as Allo-Kramer (AK) shear values. Furthermore, pectoralis minor muscles were used to determine lipid, protein, moisture, and ash content. Finally, because the flocks included white- and yellow-skinned broilers, the color of the carcass skin was measured to assess the relationship between skin and raw breast meat color. With regard to the season, breast meat from birds slaughtered during summer exhibited a paler and less red color, lower pH, higher drip and cook losses, lower AK-shear, and a higher content of moisture and a lower content of protein and ash. In respect to medium and heavy birds, light broilers produced breast meat with higher values of redness, lower pH and cook loss, higher AK-shear values, and a higher content of moisture and ash. Finally, a positive correlation (r = +0.92; P< or = 0.001) between skin and breast meat yellowness was found. These results indicate that during summer, broiler breast meat undergoes a depression of its functionality and quality. Moreover, the market class of birds also determined some differences in breast meat quality attributes.

This study aims to compare the physico-chemical properties of eggs (weight, eggshell breaking strength, Haugh index, yolk colour, lipid, cholesterol, protein, ash and dry matter) laid either by hens reared according to the organic method or by caged hens kept in conventional system. More than 1,400 eggs have been analysed at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the laying cycle in organic and conventional farms. The egg obtained from the organic system were lighter (64.4 vs 66.2 g) being yolk, albumen and eggshell weights statistically lower in comparison with those produced in conventional system. The yolk/albumen ratio resulted lower in the organic eggs (0.38 vs 0.39). The percentage of eggshell was not affected by the hen rearing system while the eggshell strength resulted higher in the eggs produced in the conventional system (3.265 vs 3.135 kg). The organic yolks were paler than the conventional ones. Organic eggs showed significantly higher contents of protein (17.1% vs 16.7%) and cholesterol (1.26% vs 1.21%)

The effects of partial substitution of soybean (SB) with faba bean (FB) and of genotypes [fast-growing Cobb 700 (FG), medium-growing naked-neck Kabir (MG), slow-growing Brown Classic Lohman (SG)] on the lipid composition as well as the meat quality attributes of chickens reared under organic conditions were evaluated. A total of 720 1-day-old male chicks were equally divided into three groups according to genotype and raised for 81 (MG and FG) or 96 days (SG): half birds of each genotype received either SB grower diet or FB grower diet. Meat from SG and MG birds exhibited a lower lipid content than that from FG birds. Both in breast and thigh meat, MUFA were significantly increased from SG to MG and FG. SG meat contained the highest amounts of either arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, or docosapentaenoic acid, but the lowest amounts of a-linolenic acid. Total PUFA gradually decreased from SG to MG and FG birds (413, 358, and 324 g/kg of fat), as well as total n À 6 and total n À 3. The D 5-plus D 6 -desaturase index was 54.0, 34.4, and 23.6 for SG, MG, and FG birds, respectively. The n À 6/n À 3 ratio was lower in SG and MG than in FG birds. The partial replacement of SB with FB had a lesser effect than the genotype on the meat quality characteristics.