Improving the lipid nutritive value of poultry meat through the incorporation of a dehydrated leguminous-based forage in the diet for broiler chicks.

Full Abstract

Dehydrated forages are assumed to be good sources of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and lipid-soluble antioxidant compounds (vitamin E homologs and beta-carotene). The effects of including a dehydrated leguminous-based forage in a typical diet for broiler chicken, on performance, meat quality, and fatty acid composition were evaluated. One hundred sixty 1-d-old male commercial broiler chicks (Ross 308) were housed in 20 battery brooders. During the 28-d growth period, the animals were fed ad libitum with a typical maize-soybean high-energy feed having access or not to a dehydrated leguminous-based forage provided in a separate feeder. The results revealed that dehydrated forage intake (which was 11.1% of the total intake) had no impact in broiler performance (P > 0.05). The capacity of ingested forage to modulate broiler meat fatty acid profile and the meat content in total cholesterol, tocopherols, tocotrienols, and beta-carotene was investigated in broiler chicks slaughtered at d 28. Dehydrated forage consumption had no effect on the lipid-soluble antioxidant compounds and cholesterol contents of broiler meat but had a significant effect on meat fatty acid profile. Although forage intake did not affect the linoleic acid and ALA contents in poultry meat, the levels of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids [eicosapentaenoic (P = 0.004), docosapentaenoic (P = 0.010), and docosahexaenoic (P = 0.007)] in breast meat were significantly higher in animals consuming leguminous biomass, which suggest a higher conversion of ALA into its derivatives in these birds. Overall, the data confirms that incorporation of a dehydrated leguminous-based forage in the diet for broiler chicks results in more favorable polyunsaturated fatty acids/saturated fatty acids and n-6/n-3 nutritional ratios for animals slaughtered at earlier stages of grow.

Author information

Author/s: Ponte, P I P (PI); Prates, J A M (JA); Crespo, J P (JP); Crespo, D G (DG); Mourão, J L (JL); Alves, S P (SP); Bessa, R J B (RJ); Chaveiro-Soares, M A (MA); Ferreira, L M A (LM); Fontes, C M G A (CM);

Affiliation: Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal-Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Pólo Universitário do Alto da Ajuda, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Poultry science (Poult Sci), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Aug; vol 87 (issue 8) : pp 1587-94

Dates: Created 2008/07/23; Completed 2008/11/04; Revised 2008/11/21;

PMID: 18648053, status: MEDLINE (last retrieved date: 2/18/2009)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MeSH Headings (categories) shown below.

Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena
Animals
Chickens - metabolism
Cholesterol - analysis; metabolism
Fabaceae - metabolism
Fatty Acids, Nonesterified - analysis; metabolism
Lipid Metabolism

Note: Bold headings indicate primary MeSH headings or qualifiers.

Associated Chemicals: Fatty Acids, Nonesterified (0) ; Lipids (0) ; Tocotrienols (0) ; Tocopherols (1406-66-2) ; Cholesterol (57-88-5) ; beta Carotene (7235-40-7)

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