Dietary alpha-linolenic acid enhances omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid levels in chicken tissues

• Published in: Prostaglandins, leukotrienes and essential fatty acids leukotrienes and essential fatty acids, 2012-10, Vol.87 (4), p.103-109
• Main Authors: Kartikasari, L.R, Hughes, R.J, Geier, M.S, Makrides, M, Gibson, R.A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Advanced Basic Science; Alpha-linolenic acid; alpha-Linolenic Acid - pharmacology; Animals; Chicken meat; Chickens; Dietary Fats - pharmacology; Docosahexaenoic acid; Docosahexaenoic Acids - metabolism; Eicosapentaenoic acid; Eicosapentaenoic Acid - metabolism; Endocrinology & Metabolism; Fatty Acids, Omega-3 - metabolism; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated - metabolism; Lipid Metabolism - drug effects; Meat; Omega-3 enrichment
• ISSN: 0952-3278; 1532-2823
• DOI: 10.1016/j.plefa.2012.07.005

Abstract The effects of enriching broiler chicken diets with a vegetable source of n −3 fat in the form of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3 n −3) on the accumulation of n −3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) in chicken meat were investigated. Sixty unsexed one-day-old broiler chickens (Cobb 500) were randomly allocated to one of six diets ( n =10 birds/diet) for 4 weeks. The ALA levels varied from 1 to 8% energy (%en) while the level of the n −6 fatty acid linoleic acid (LA, 18:2 n −6) was held to less than 5%en in all diets. At harvest (day 28) the levels of n −3 LCPUFA including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in breast and thigh meat increased in a curvilinear manner as dietary ALA increased, reaching 4- to 9-fold above the levels seen in control birds. In contrast, arachidonic acid (AA) was reduced in response to increasing dietary ALA.