Effects of lipid sources in the diet of laying hens on the fatty acid profiles of egg yolks

Abstract

The effects of different dietary lipids on the fatty acid profiles of eggs produced by 20- and 54-wk-old Dekalb laying hens were investigated. The 4 treatments were based on the lipid source added to the diet: soybean oil, sunflower oil, linseed oil, or control (no added oil). The experimental design was a simple random-sample design using a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement (4 treatments and 2 ages). The fatty acid composition of the yolks of eggs produced by the laying hens was analyzed. The fatty acid profiles found in the egg yolks were the same as those provided in each diet. Eggs laid by hens fed the diet containing soybean oil had a large amount of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), whereas eggs laid by hens fed the diet containing linseed oil had the highest percentage of n-3 PUFA. A decrease in PUFA deposition in egg yolks was observed as the laying hens got older. Eggs of hens fed the diet containing linseed oil presented an n-6:n-3 ratio of 2.01 in younger chickens and 2.17 in older ones. The trans fat percentages found in the egg yolks of all treatments were very low. It was concluded that the quantity of fatty acids present in the egg yolk may be altered according to the source of lipids in the diets; the addition of linseed oil to the ration of laying hens resulted in the production of n-3-enriched eggs and excellent n-6:n-3 ratios, and the egg yolks had insignificant amounts of trans fat, irrespective of the different lipid sources added to the diets or the age of the chickens.

Mixed crude glycerin in laying hen diets: live performance and egg quality and fatty acid profile

“…Soybean oil is an important PUFA source, particularly of ω-6 acid. It contains 54.64% PUFAs, consequently increasing their content in eggs (Oliveira et al 2010). However, high ω-6 consumption is also associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease in humans (Petrovic et al, 2012).…”

The effect of replacing soya bean oil with glycerol in diets on performance, egg quality and egg fatty acid composition in laying hens

“…Soy bean oil is an important linoleic acid source (Oliveira et al, 2010). The egg yolks of laying hens fed soy bean oil presented higher amounts of linoleic (n-6) fatty acids (Oliveira et al, 2010). Thus, the low level of dietary soy bean oil may have lowered the PUFA of eggs.…”

Effect of different dietary oil sources on the growth performance, blood characteristics, fatty acid profiles, and expression of lipogenic genes in the liver of broiler chickens

“…The present study demonstrated that the composition of fatty acids in muscles, eggs, and liver can be manipulated by dietary means (Raes et al 2004;Herdmann et al 2010;Oliveira et al 2010;Benatmane et al 2011). In our study, a significant increase in most of the individual liver n-3 PUFA and a decrease in n-6 PUFA were observed in the case of the diet supplemented with FO as the source of 18:3n-3, when compared with CO diet.…”

“…Different fatty acid deposition and a lower ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFA in the tissue of bull, rabbit, pig, broiler muscles, and eggs of hens were also achieved by changing the source of dietary fat (Raes et al 2004;Herdmann et al 2010;Oliveira et al 2010;Benatmane et al 2011). In recent years, interest has been focused on the effect of the dietary fat source on the fatty acid deposition in pig, salmon, rabbit liver, etc.…”