An experiment was conducted to investigate whether feeding menhaden oil (MO) to hens affects egg weight, and whether using deodorized MO (DMO) could ameliorate decreased sensory quality of eggs (characteristic for hens fed high fish oil diets). Two-hundred twenty-four Single Comb White Leghorn hens were allocated to seven dietary treatments comprising either no fish oil, DMO, or regular MO (RMO) at 2, 4, and 6% in commercial-type diets from 19 to 55 wk of age. The data collected were analyzed in four experimental periods (i.e., 0, 2, 6, and 9 mo after feeding MO diets). The sensory evaluation of 2-wk stored eggs from hens fed the 2% RMO, 2% DMO, and control diets was undertaken. Egg weight decreased linearly with increasing MO in all periods tested (P < 0.05). The panelist's scores of aroma, taste, flavor, and acceptability of eggs from hens fed diets containing 2% of either RMO or DMO were lower (P < 0.05) than for control eggs. Greater aftertaste and off-flavors in these eggs were also detected. No differences in sensory quality (P > 0.05) for eggs from hens fed RMO vs. DMO were found. These results suggest that the deodorization of MO does not ameliorate the impaired sensory quality of eggs characteristic of hens fed MO.

González-Esquerra, R. and Leeson, S. 2001. Alternatives for enrichment of eggs and chicken meat with omega-3 fatty acids. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 81: [295][296][297][298][299][300][301][302][303][304][305]. Interest on the enrichment of eggs and poultry meat with omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 FA) has increased given their important role in human metabolism. The inclusion of n-3 FA into eggs and poultry meat is achieved by feeding ingredients such as flaxseed, fish oil, fish meal, marine algae and canola to birds. However, problems in various production parameters and sensory quality of eggs and meat may arise. The former possibly caused by antinutritional and physiological effects and the latter influenced by the interaction of volatile substances. Possible increases in formulation costs also deserve attention.Strategies to ameliorate these undesirable effects include limiting the inclusion levels of n-3 FA sources, time of feeding, mixing different n-3 FA sources in commercial rations, and including high levels of vitamin E along with high-quality ingredients. A mild heat treatment may eliminate some of the drawbacks of feeding flaxseed to birds.Key words: Omega-3, flaxseed, flax, menhaden oil, eggs, chicken meat González-Esquerra, R. et Leeson, S. 2001. Solutions de rechange pour l'enrichissement de la viande de volaille et des oeufs avec les acides gras oméga-3. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 81: 295-305. L'enrichissement des oeufs et de la volaille avec les acides gras oméga-3 (AG n-3) suscite de plus en plus d'intérêt à cause du rôle important des AG n-3 dans le métabolisme de l'être humain. Pour enrichir les oeufs et la viande, on sert aux oiseaux des graines de lin, de l'huile et de la farine de poisson, des algues et du canola. Malheureusement, cette pratique peut poser des difficultés au niveau de certains paramètres de production ou de la qualité organoleptique des oeufs. La première difficulté résulte peut-être d'effets physiologiques ou anti-nutritionnels, et la seconde, de l'interaction de composés volatils. Il convient aussi de s'attarder à la hausse éventuelle du coût des rations.Plusieurs stratégies permettraient d'atténuer ces effets indésirables : réduire la quantité de sources de AG n-3, mieux choisir le moment où l'on nourrit les animaux, ajouter d'autres sources de AG n-3 aux aliments commerciaux et utiliser plus de vitamine E ainsi que des ingrédients de meilleure qualité. Un léger traitement thermique pourrait éliminer certains problèmes associés à l'utilisation des graines de lin.Mots clés: Oméga-3, graines de lin, lin, huile de menhaden, oeufs, viande de volaille It is known that omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 FA) have potential in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, some autoimmune disorders, diabetes, and some types of cancer aside from their important role in neuronal development. Research has shown that the current patterns of n-3 FA consumption in most of the Western countries are less than recommended values (for a review, see Simopoulus 2000). These findings have stimulated interest in i...

1. Three hundred and thirty 1-d-old male broiler chicks from a commercial strain were allocated to 11 dietary treatments comprising combinations of flaxseed at 100 g/kg and menhaden oil (MO) at 7.5 or 15 g/kg. Birds were given the experimental diets 7 or 14 d prior to slaughter. Carcase omega-3 fatty acid profiles and sensory evaluations of different cooked meat portions were carried out. 2. Linolenic acid was preferentially deposited in dark meat and long chain omega-3 fatty acids in white meat. Breast meat sensory quality was not affected in birds given 100 g/kg flaxseed for 14 d (treatment 3), 7.5 g/kg MO for 14 d (treatment 5) or 100 g/kg flaxseed +0.75 g/kg MO for 7 d (treatment 6). In contrast, thigh meat sensory quality decreased in treatments 5 and 6. 3. Feeding flaxseed and MO to birds for just 7 d prior to slaughter resulted in significant omega-3 meat enrichment depending on their dietary concentrations. The linolenic acid and long chain omega-3 fatty acids showed preferential deposition in dark and white meat, respectively, which may affect the sensory quality of various portions differently.

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Spray-dried plasma (SDP) is a functional ingredient commonly utilized in swine production and calf milk replacers to improve performance, feed efficiency, and health. The improvements noted with SDP in animal production are more pronounced under commercial production conditions compared to cleaner research settings. Multiple modes of action of SDP have been proposed, including either directly influencing the immune inflammatory response locally or systemically, and/or through the indirect modification of beneficial microbial populations. Spray-dried plasma included at various dietary levels and duration of feeding in broilers has been evaluated in different production and challenging conditions with beneficial effects on broiler performance, as noted in other animals. The purpose of this review is to discuss research related to the modes of action of SDP on immunomodulation and improved intestinal health and specifically discuss research conducted utilizing SDP in feed for poultry. Collectively, the data available indicates that SDP improves early intestinal health and supports an efficient immune system response both locally at the intestine and systemically, thereby benefiting growth, feed efficiency, and survival of broilers in conventional commercial production and under challenging conditions such as disease or environmental stressors.