Chicken meat is considered as an easily available source of high-quality protein and other nutrients that are necessary for proper body functioning. In order to meet the consumers' growing demands for high-quality protein, the poultry industry focused on selection of fast-growing broilers, which reach a body mass of about 2.5 kg within 6-week-intensive fattening. Relatively low sales prices of chicken meat, in comparison to other types of meat, speak in favor of the increased chicken meat consumption. In addition, chicken meat is known by its nutritional quality, as it contains significant amount of high-quality and easily digestible protein and a low portion of saturated fat. Therefore, chicken meat is recommended for consumption by all age groups. The technological parameters of chicken meat quality are related to various factors (keeping conditions, feeding treatment, feed composition, transport, stress before slaughter, etc.). Composition of chicken meat can be influenced through modification of chicken feed composition (addition of different types of oils, vitamins, microelements and amino acids), to produce meat enriched with functional ingredients (n-3 PUFA, carnosine, selenium and vitamin E). By this way, chicken meat becomes a foodstuff with added value, which, in addition to high-quality nutritional composition, also contains ingredients that are beneficial to human health.

The effects of consumption of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) enriched hen eggs on endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent vasodilation in microcirculation, and on endothelial activation and inflammation were determined in young healthy individuals. Control group (N = 21) ate three regular hen eggs/daily (249 mg n-3 PUFAs/day), and n-3 PUFAs group (N = 19) ate three n-3 PUFAs enriched hen eggs/daily (1053 g n-3 PUFAs/day) for 3 weeks. Skin microvascular blood flow in response to iontophoresis of acetylcholine (AChID; endothelium-dependent) and sodium nitroprusside (SNPID; endothelium-independent) was assessed by laser Doppler flowmetry. Blood pressure (BP), body composition, body fluid status, serum lipid and free fatty acids profile, and inflammatory and endothelial activation markers were measured before and after respective dietary protocol. Results: Serum n-3 PUFAs concentration significantly increased, AChID significantly improved, and SNPID remained unchanged in n-3 PUFAs group, while none was changed in Control group. Interferon-γ (pro-inflammatory) significantly decreased and interleukin-10 (anti-inflammatory) significantly increased in n-3 PUFAs. BP, fat free mass, and total body water significantly decreased, while fat mass, interleukin-17A (pro-inflammatory), interleukin-10 and vascular endothelial growth factor A significantly increased in the Control group. Other measured parameters remained unchanged in both groups. Favorable anti-inflammatory properties of n-3 PUFAs consumption potentially contribute to the improvement of microvascular endothelium-dependent vasodilation in healthy individuals.

The beneficial effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) supplementation on the cardiovascular (CV) system is well supported in CV patients; however, the effect of the consumption of omega-3 PUFA-enriched functional food in healthy individuals is still not fully elucidated. This study aimed to determine the effect of the consumption of omega-3 PUFA-enriched hen eggs on the microvascular reactivity (primary outcome), blood pressure (BP), and serum lipid profile in young healthy individuals. The control group (N = 16) ate 3 ordinary hen eggs (277 mg of omega-3 PUFAs/day), and the OMEGA-3 group (N = 20) ate 3 omega-3 PUFA-enriched eggs containing 259 mg of omega-3 PUFAs/egg daily (α-linolenic acid (ALA), 167 mg/egg; eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), 7 mg/egg; docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), 84 mg/egg) for 3 weeks (777 mg of omega-3 PUFA/day). Postocclusive reactive hyperemia (PORH) in skin microcirculation assessed by laser Doppler flowmetry, serum lipid profile, fasting blood glucose, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), and arterial BP were measured in all subjects before and after the protocol. PORH was significantly enhanced, and triglycerides, hsCRP, and BP were significantly decreased in the OMEGA-3 group compared with baseline measurements, whereas there was no significant difference in the control group after the protocol when compared with baseline. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that consumption of a mixture of omega-3 PUFA (ALA + EPA + DHA), provided via enriched hen eggs, elicits changes in the microvascular reactivity, BP, and triglyceride level in healthy subjects that are associated with CV benefits, thus suggesting that daily consumption of omega-3 PUFA-enriched eggs in healthy individuals may potentially contribute to CV risk factor attenuation and disease prevention.

The aim of this research was to investigate the deposition of carnosine in broiler muscles by feeding treatments comprising β-alanine, L-histidine, and magnesium oxide in various concentrations. The research was carried out on 120 Cobb 500 broilers divided into four groups. From weeks four to six, broilers were fed finisher mixtures as follows: P1, control group; P2, 0.5% β-alanine + 0.24% MgO; P3, 0.25% L-histidine + 0.24% MgO; and P4, 0.20% β-alanine + 0.10% L-histidine + 0.24% MgO. This paper presents the weights of broilers and their carcasses, portions of main parts of carcasses, technological quality of breast muscles, and concentrations of carnosine in breast and thigh muscles. The following traits of muscle tissue quality were measured: initial and final pH value (45 min after slaughtering pH 1 , and 24 h after cooling pH 2 ), drip loss, color (Minolta colorimeter, expressed as CIE L*, CIE a*, and CIE b* values), meat softness, and cooking loss. Data on relative concentration of protein carbonyl (nmol/mg protein) in the muscles of breasts and thighs and levels of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) in fresh and frozen breasts muscles (nmol/mg of tissue) are presented. Statistical analysis proved that feeding treatments had an effect on the live weight of broilers in the 4th, 5 th , and 6th weeks of fattening (P<0.05), as well as on the carcass quality at slaughter (P<0.05; except the portion of wings), pH 1 value (P=0.035), CIE a* indicator (P=0.007), drip loss (P=0.002), and meat texture (P=0.008).Compared to the control group, synthesis and deposition of carnosine were increased in breast muscles in groups P2, P3, and P4 by 7.51%, 10.62%, and 62.93%, respectively, and in thigh muscles by 61.05%, 78.95%, and 89.52%, respectively. It was also confirmed that feeding treatments influenced the level of TBARS in frozen broiler breast muscles (P=0.014).Key words: β-alanine, broiler, carnosine, L-histidine, meat quality, performance IntroductionFunctional food components have beneficial effects on certain functions in humans; they improve the body's condition and reduce the risk of some diseases. Carnosine plays an important role in human physiological functions; it regulates intracellular pH, prevents oxidation, and assures normal neurotransmission (Chan and Decker, 1994, Wu and Shiau, 2002). Boldyrev et al. (2013) reported that carnosine influenced skeletal muscle, brain, and cardiovascular system functions. It also slows down the aging process (anti-aging factor), and increases the capacity and intensity of an athlete's activities. Carnosine content can be affected by the type of muscle tissue (white or dark meat) and animal species (cattle, sheep, rabbits, and poultry), as well as by breed (autochthonous breeds or hybrids), sex, age, and breeding (Abe and Okuma, 1995; Boldyrev et al., 2013). For example, the muscles of some fish (salmon, trout) contain anserine only and human muscles contain carnosine only, but muscles of birds contain both dipeptides (Boldyrev, 2006). It is considered that ...

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of organic selenium supplemented to broiler feed on the selenium content and fatty acid profile in broiler breast muscle tissue. The study was carried out on 60 male Ross 308 broilers that were slaughtered at the age of 42 days. After day 21, the broilers were divided into three experimental groups (P1, P2, P3), and each group was given separately prepared finisher diets that contained 18% of crude protein and 14.67 MJ/kg ME (finisher diet contained 6% of oil, of which 3% was sunflower oil, and 3% was linseed oil added for the purpose to increase portion of α-linolenic fatty acid. The content of organic selenium (Sel-Plex®) supplemented in the finisher diet was as follows: no selenium, 0.3 mg Se/kg of feed and 0.5mg Se/kg of feed for P1, P2 and P3 group, respectively. It was determined that the group P3 had a significantly higher (P < 0.05) content of selenium in breast muscle (0.256 mg Se/kg of tissue) than group P2 (0.183 mg Se/kg of tissue) and P1 (0.087 mg Se/kg of tissue). Supplementation of selenium to feed at the amount of 0.3 mg/kg affected the fatty acid profile in breast muscle tissue by increasing portions of α-linolenic, eicosapentaenoic, docosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids and total n3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and by lowering portion of total saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. nutrition, poultry, composition, sunflower oil, linseed oilPoultry production in Croatia has a long tradition. In 2008, yearly consumption of fresh meat was 44.68 kg per household member. The most consumed meat was poultry (16.96 kg), followed by pork (15.51 kg), beef (9.05 kg); meat of other animals was less consumed. Popularity of poultry meat can be justified by the fact that it is of satisfactory nutritive quality, not expensive and meets organoleptic demands of consumers. Grains are the basic forage of broiler feed, and additional fats, mostly sunflower oil rich in n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) is added to broiler feed for the purpose of metabolic energy (ME) balancing. Grains produced in Croatia are low in selenium content; therefore it is important to supplement this microelement to broiler feed. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of increased selenium content in broiler feed (containing 3% of linseed oil and 3% of sunflower oil) on selenium content and fatty acid profile in broiler muscle tissue. Materials and MethodsThe research was carried out on 60 male broiler hybrids of the Ross 308. From the 1 st to 21 st day the broilers were fed a starter diet balanced at 22% crude protein and 13.90 MJ/kg ME. After day 21, the broilers were divided into three groups (P1, P2 and P3) and fed finisher diets containing linseed oil (3%) and sunflower oil (3%), and differing in the amounts of organic selenium (Sel-Plex ® , Alltech) added in groups P2 and P3 (0.3 mg Se/kg of feed and 0.5 mg Se/kg of feed, respectively); diet given to group P1 was not supplemented by selenium. Chemical analysis of diets provided data on selenium con...