Yolk Fatty Acid Content, Lipid Health Indices, and Oxidative Stability in Eggs of Slow-Growing Sasso Chickens Fed on Flaxseed Supplemented with Plant Polyphenol Extracts

Abstract

Previous attempts to increase the level of flaxseed in hens’ diet for the production of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs)-enriched eggs have been commonly associated with undesirable effects on production efficiency, lipid health indices, and oxidative stability of eggs, requiring adequate research attention. This study investigated the effects of feeding a moderate level of flaxseed (FS) and plant polyphenol extracts (PPEs) on fatty acid content, oxidative stability, and lipid health indices in eggs of slow-growing Sasso T451A laying hens. One hundred and five hens were assigned to five groups (seven replicates of three) and fed on FS (75 g flaxseed and no antioxidants), VE8 (75 g flaxseed and 800 mg vitamin E), TS8 (75 g flaxseed and 800 mg Thymus schimperi), DA8 (75 g flaxseed and 800 mg Dodonaea angustifolia), and CD8 (75 g flaxseed and 800 mg Curcuma domestica) extract per kg diets. The egg yolk content of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5 n-3) in the DA8, TS8, and CD8 diets and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6 n-3) in TS8 and CD8 diets significantly (p < 0.05) increased compared with the FS diet. The FS diet significantly increased the malondialdehyde (MDA) content in egg yolks, whereas the TS8 diet decreased it by 67% (p < 0.05). Little difference was observed in yolk fatty acid content between cooked and raw eggs. Production of n-3 PUFA-enriched eggs with favorable lipid health indices was possible through inclusion of PPEs extracted from local plant species grown in Ethiopia and a moderate dose of flaxseed in the diet of laying hens.

Influence of rosehip (Rosa canina L.) leaves as feed additive during first stage of laying hens on performances and egg quality characteristics

“…A study conducted for 26 wk, starting at initiation of laying period (wk 16) until mid of peak production (wk 42), showed that moringa oleifera leaves (0.5, 1, and 1.5%) significantly improved the PUFA profile, especially the total of n-3 compared to control diet ( Sharmin et al, 2021 ). This effect was recently confirmed by other authors ( Tadesse et al, 2023 , Mierlita et al, 2024 ). Moreover, these results show that the action of the enzyme in the formation and depletion of fatty acids starts from the first stage of egg deposition.…”

“…A significant increase in total n-3 fatty acids (1.40 versus 1.18) and significant decrease in total n-6 fatty acids (29.85 versus 30.65) was observed only for RL1 yolks compared to RL0 yolk samples. Although rosehip leaves cannot be considered sources of fat, it was reported that plant feed additives, through their antioxidant profile have a protective effect on PUFA from oxidative breakdown ( Vlaicu et al, 2021 ; Tadesse et al, 2023 ). Another reason for fatty acids alteration in eggs is the hens age and hybrid used.…”

Design of Physicochemical Properties of Eggs as a Result of Modification of the Fat Fraction of Laying Feed

“…Nutritional modifications may also encompass the mineral composition and vitamin content [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]. The fatty acid profile of the yolk depends primarily on its composition in the feed, which allows easy modification, especially towards the proportion of mono- and poly-unsaturated fatty acids [ 6 , 7 ].…”

Dietary supplementation with honeycomb extracts positively improved egg nutritional and flavor quality, serum antioxidant and immune functions of laying ducks

“…Egg fatty acids, especially polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), are important in poultry production for improving the health and productivity of birds, and are useful for improving cardiovascular health and cognitive function of human. Many studies have showed that the influence of dietary supplementation of vegetable seeds and oils, fish oil and natural antioxidants on the fatty acids composition of eggs (3)(4)(5)(6). Another way to improve the health quality of eggs is through reducing the content of cholesterol and trimethylamine (TMA).…”