Potential use of seaweeds in the laying hen ration to improve the quality of n-3 fatty acid enriched eggs

Abstract

An association between dietary fish oil and decreased yolk weight and reduced sensory quality of eggs has been reported when eggs are enriched with n-3 FA from fish oil. Seaweeds are an important source of compounds that seem to increase egg weight when included in the laying hen diet. The objectives of this study were to determine the influence of the dietary seaweeds Macrocystis pyrifera, Sargassum sinicola and Enteromorpha sp. on the physical quality, lipid composition and consumer acceptability of n-3 FA enriched eggs. One-hundred and forty-four 35-weekold Leghorn hens were randomly distributed in four treatments that consisted of the inclusion of 2% of sardine oil (SO) and 10% of each marine alga (MA) in laying hens' diets; a control diet (C) was also prepared. The study lasted 8 weeks and egg physical quality, egg lipids and sensory attributes were evaluated. The results showed that incorporation of 10% M. pyrifera in the diets is an effective way of increasing the n-3 FA content, the albumen height and yolk color, but not the egg weight, when these are enriched with n-3 FA from fish oil. The egg flavor was also not affected.

Chlorella and Spirulina Microalgae as Sources of Functional Foods, Nutraceuticals, and Food Supplements; an Overview

“…The authors observed that the content of linolenic acid and docosahexaenoic acid increased in the egg yolk. Similar results were found by using Spirulina microalgae instead of Chlorella microalgae [108].…”

Chemical composition of cultivated seaweed Ulva clathrata (Roth) C. Agardh

“…High nÀ3 PUFAs content is an important feature of Ulva products, which has been used, for example, to improve egg quality through n3 PUFAs enrichment by feeding leghorn hens with a diet supplemented with sardine oil and Enteromorpha spp. (Carrillo et al, 2008). Although U. clathrata presented low lipid content, its high PUFA content is superior to those of the terrestrial vegetables and indicates its potential utilisation in preparation of human foods.…”

Spirulina as a functional ingredient in broiler chicken diets

“…Recently, the effects of spirulina supplementation on animal performance and quality of animal products have been examined in the diets of dairy cows (Simkus et al, 2007;Christaki et al, 2012), fattening lambs (EL-Sabagh et al, 2014), rabbits (Colla et al, 2008;Peiretti & Meineri, 2008;Gerencser et al, 2014), common carp (Abdulrahman & Hamad Ameed, 2014), pigs (Grinsteal et al, 2000), laying hens (Carrillo et al, 2008;Maries et al, 2012;Zahroojian et al, 2013) and broilers (Ross & Dominy, 1990;Toyomizu et al, 2001;Alvarenga et al, 2011;Bellof & Alarcon, 2013). Nevertheless, published data could not be found on the effects of dietary spirulina on chicken meat oxidative stability and fatty acid profile.…”