Fatty acids in feed of laying hens on the production parameters and the ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids

Abstract

Enriching table eggs with certain nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids is an ongoing topic. Therefore, the aforementioned research was carried out with the aim of examining the possibility of feeding laying hens with ground flax seed, flax cake and flaxseed oil and their influence on the ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids of table eggs, as well as on certain production parameters. The experiment was set up in a production facility with 192 consuming laying hens 27 weeks old. The laying hens were divided into 4 groups: control group; group fed with flax cake (10%) + flax oil (2%); a group fed with 5% ground flax and a group fed with 10% ground flax. Each group had 8 cages with 6 laying hens, a total of 48 laying hens per group. The production parameters presented in this paper are as follows: number of eggs per laying hen , egg weight and yolk weight. Egg quality indicators were determined at the end of the 5th and 10th week from the start of the experiment, namely: pH of egg white and yolk, polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acids ratio, as well as omega-3 and omega-3 fatty acids ratio. The results of the study showed that the inclusion of flax cake, flax oil and ground flaxseed had no negative effects on the shown production parameters and that there was a positive effect of these nutrients on the ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in table eggs.

Nutritional parameters of eggs from laying hens fed with flaxseed meal or mixture with rapeseed meal or rice bran

“…The results obtained in the present study are in agreement with those reported by Perić et al (2019) regarding the ratio of PUFA ω-6/ω-3 fatty acids (3.34 ± 0.62) when they included 5% flax flour in the structure of the diet. At the same time, the concentrations obtained by us in this study, when supplementing the hen's diets with 5% flaxseed meal, are similar to those obtained at an 8% flax seed level (Khan et al 2017).…”

“…The α-linolenic acid concentration (C18: 3n3) in the yolk egg from experimental groups was significantly (P≤0.05) higher compared to the group C, but the highest increase, however, was recorded in the group E1. Perić et al (2019) conducted a comparative study regarding the effect of flax in several forms (flour, cake and oil) on the ratio of PUFA/SFA and ω-6/ ω-3 in eggs. The recorded results highlighted the improvement of PUFA/SFA and ω-6/ω-3 ratio when flax was included alone (5%), as well as in the mixture (10% cake and 2% oil).…”

Potential impact of functional biomolecules-enriched foods on human health: A randomized controlled clinical trial

“…Therefore, in general, in an ideal diet the ratio between Omega-6, whose intake determines the production of molecules that stimulate inflammation (pro-inflammatory effect), and Omega- 3 with an anti-inflammatory effect should be proportionate (1-2: 1), so as to ensure a certain balance between inflammatory response and anti-inflammatory action. However, Western eating habits have shifted this balance strongly in favor of Omega-6s and, consequently, of their pro-inflammatory action, with negative effects on health 46 .…”