1. A trial was conducted in order to increase the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) content in the meat of Muscovy ducks (Cairina moschata domestica L.) fed on a diet supplemented with the microalga Crypthecodinium cohnii. 2. Two diets were provided to 48 male and 48 female ducks, belonging to an Italian rural strain during the last 3 weeks of life: a maize-soybean based diet as the control diet and the same diet supplemented with 5 g/kg microalga meal. 3. Dietary treatment did not induce differences in growth performances and slaughter traits. Similarly, chemical composition, colour, pH, oxidative stability and sensory characteristics of breast muscle were not influenced by the diet. 4. A significant increase of DHA content in breast meat of ducks fed on the Crypthecodinium cohnii enriched diet was observed.

A trial was conducted to study the effect of dietary 2% soya bean oil and dietary 2% fish oil (FO) on fatty acid composition of breast meat of two different Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata domestica L.) strains. The two strains were a broiler strain selected for meat production and an unselected rural strain. Fatty acid composition of breast muscle was deeply influenced by lipid source. Dietary FO improved the long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) of omega 3 series content, while the content of LC-PUFAs of omega 6 series was reduced. Differences in susceptibility in lipid manipulation were found between the two groups of animals suggesting the highest capability of animals belonging to the rural strain in stocking arachidonic acid in breast muscle. As the fatty acid profile of Muscovy duck meat can be considerably modified by changing the fatty acid composition of the diet, and dietary FO represents an easy way to reach this goal, human intake of healthy n-3 LC-PUFAs could be enhanced using this enriched poultry meat, even if the influence of FO on organoleptic characteristics (i.e. off-flavours) must be evaluated.

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