Feeding to Produce n-3 Fatty Acid-enriched Table Eggs

This study aimed to modify the feed mixtures of laying hens to enrich the consumer eggs with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA): α-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). One hundred and twenty Tetra-SL laying hens used in the study were divided into three groups of 40 laying hens arranged in five repetitions: C, control with 5% soybean oil; E1, 0.5% fish oil + 0.5% microalgae Schizochytrium limacinum; and E2, 0.75% fish oil + 0.75% microalgae. The composition of the mixtures was balanced at the level of 17.5% raw protein and 11.81 MJ/kg metabolic energy (ME). Feed and water were provided ad libitum, and the experiment lasted for 21 days. In this study, the different physical and chemical properties of eggs, the fatty acid profile and lipid oxidation of fat in egg yolks were analyzed. The results of the study showed that the weight of the egg yolk and that of the shell depended on the feeding treatments (P=0.014 and P