Fatty acids profile and oxidative stability of eggs from laying hens fed diets containing hemp seed or hempseed cake

Abstract

High levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are desirable in eggs for its nutritional quality, but render them vulnerable to oxidation. The aim of this trial was to assess the effects of dietary intake of hemp (seeds or cake) on the fatty acid (FA) profile and oxidative stability of eggs. The control diet (C), which was composed of corn, soybean meal and sunflower oil (2.5%), was compared with two experimental diets that were designed to replace sunflower oil with fat from hemp seed (HS diet) or hempseed cake (HC diet). One hundred and twenty Tetra-SL LL laying hens (24-week old) were used in a 10-week trial. Each treatment was replicated five times with eight birds each. Average hen-day egg production was not affected by feeding either the HS or the HC diet. The α-linolenic acid (ALA) concentration in eggs was increased by substituting the HS-or HC-based diets fed to the hens with dietary ALA. Similar deposition profiles were exhibited by eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acids (DHA) in yolks in response to increasing the dietary ALA supply. The HS group showed a greater concentration of egg yolk ALA and EPA than the HC group, which had a higher concentration of linoleic acid (LA). These alterations in yolk composition resulted in n−6 : n−3 FA ratio values as low as 2.98 and 4.15 for HS and HC, respectively, compared to 11.07 for the control diet. The atherogenicity index and cholesterol level were not affected by hemp (seed or cake) inclusion, while the thrombogenicity index decreased when compared to the control diet. On days 0, 15 and 30 of storage (4 °C), two eggs were selected randomly from each replicate (totalling 10 eggs per treatment) and analyzed. The PUFAs were not affected by storage. An exception occurred in the HC group, in which eggs had lower n-6 FA content. Egg storage for 30 d led to a reduction in egg α-tocopherol and an increase of malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration, an indicator of lipid peroxidation. The HS treatment resulted in the lowest MDA (0.22 mg MDA/kg yolk for fresh eggs and 0.35 mg for eggs in 30-day storage). The study demonstrates that the level and type of PUFAs, level of α-tocopherol and duration of egg storage significantly affected the oxidative stability of eggs. The results obtained suggest that the inclusion of hemp seed appears to be more effective in maintaining the oxidative stability of egg lipids than hempseed cake.

Hemp in Veterinary Medicine: From Feed to Drug

“…Significantly greater egg mass was also observed after a diet with hempseeds at 8%, and a greater egg weight was obtained with a feed containing from 3 to 9% of hempseeds compared to a control diet ( 21 , 22 ).…”

“…In the study by Mierlit ´ ǎ ( 21 ), egg yolk fatty acid profile differed when hemp oil or hempseed cakes were added to the diet: LA was increased with hempseed cakes compared to hempseeds and the control group, while ALA was higher compared to control and lower compared to the hempseed group. Concentrations of oleic acid were lower in yolk when hens were fed with both hemp derivatives, leading to lower MUFA concentrations.…”

An overview on the use of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) in animal nutrition

“…Total cholesterol concentrations in egg and yolk were not influenced by hemp addition in the diets. Higher concentration of α-tocopherol was determined in eggs from laying hens fed with concentrate mixtures containing HS or HSC, with the highest determined in HS group (Mierlita, 2019), indicating better antioxidant capacity.…”

“…Research with laying hens fed with the addition of HS or HSC was carried out by Mierlita (2019). In this research ingredients from the control group diets were corn, soybean meal and sunflower oil (2.5%) and compared to experimental mixtures that were designed to replace sunflower oil and partially soybean meal with fat from HS (8.04%) or HSC (20.32%).…”

“…In animal nutrition hemp seeds and cakes can be used in all animal species and the whole hemp plant (including stalk and leaves) may be suitable for ruminants, while hemp hurds can be used for bedding (EFSA, 2011). In the previous research, it was determined that hemp oil can be used as a supplement in feed mixtures for animals as a rich source of essential fatty acids (Cozma et al, 2015), while seeds and hempseed cake can be used as a fat and protein source in animals´ diets (Mierlita, 2019 Table 2. Composition of essential amino acids of different food including hempseeds (Callaway, 2004) Tablica 2.…”