Substitution of soybean oil for tuna fish oil in broilers diet as an alternative for meat enrichment with omega-3 fatty acids/ Sustitucion de aceite de soya por aceite de atun en la dieta de pollos como alternativa para enriquecer la carne con acidos grasos omega-3/ Substituicao de oleo de soja por oleo de atum na dieta de frangos como alternativa para enriquecer a carne com acidos graxos omega 3

This research aimed to determine the appropriate substitution level of soybean oil for tuna fish oil to enrich chicken meat with omega-3, without negative effects on broiler performance or on acceptance of meat by the consumer. The treatments consisted on substitution of soybean oil for tuna fish oil (0, 0.75, 1.5, 2.25 and 3.0%) in a basal corn-soybean diet. These five treatments were applied under a completely randomized design with three replicates, utilizing 195 male 1 day old Ross broilers. Data were analyzed using the GLM procedure of SAS and orthogonal contrasts to detect linear or quadratic responses to tuna fish oil levels (p [less than or equal to] 0.05). Aver age daily gain and feed intake decreased linearly (p [less than or equal to] 0.05) as tuna fish oil dietary level increased. In the sensory evaluation test, the meat suffered no alteration in taste up to a level of 0.75% tuna oil (p [less than or equal to] 0.05). The tuna fish oil dietary supplementation increased (p [less than or equal to] 0.05) EPA and DHA concentration in breast, leg and thigh. The ratio omega-6:omega-3 was reduced (p [less than or equal to] 0.05) with increasing levels of tuna fish oil. The appropriate substitution level of soybean oil by tuna fish oil with omega-3 enriched chicken meat is 0.75%, since at this level the acceptance of the meat is not affected and DHA and EPA concentrations increase.