Comparing docosahexaenoic acid supplementation strategies in terms of broiler tissue enrichment, productivity, and cost

There are various health benefits associated with people consuming sufficient quantities of omega-3 fatty acids, with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), in particular, impacting cardiovascular and mental health as well as influencing the immune response. Dietary deficiencies of omega-3 are common globally, and an emerging strategy to compensate is the enrichment of frequently consumed foods. Chicken meat represents a good target for enrichment as the fatty acid concentrations of the edible tissues can be easily altered by including omega-3–rich ingredients in their diets. However, the optimum duration of supplementation remains unclear. In this study, we describe the results of 2 studies in which the DHA-rich protist, Aurantiochytrium limacinum was fed to broilers at a rate of 0, 0.5, 1, and 2% of the diet. In the first study, the birds were supplemented for their whole lives (42 D), whereas in the second study, the birds were supplemented for the final 21-D fattening period only. Productivity parameters were affected in the whole-life study but were unaffected in the fattening-period study. In both studies, higher A. limacinum inclusion rates led to higher levels of DHA enrichment. Supplementation at a rate of 1% resulted in 49 and 97 mg DHA/100 g of breast or thigh meat, respectively, whereas 2% inclusion rate resulted in 97 and 156 mg DHA/100 g of breast or thigh meat, respectively, enough DHA to be considered a source of omega-3 in the European Union and Canada.