Effects of Different Levels of Dietary Fish Oil and Poultry Fat
on Performance
Author: Tohid Vahdatpour
In this experiment, the effects of different levels of fish oil and poultry fat (FO+PF) on the performance and Breast fatty acids composition
of broiler chickens assessed. 3% oil in 4 diets were altered with replacing PF by FO (T1=3%PF, T2=2%PF+1%FO, T3=1%PF+2%FO,
and T4=3%FO) and were given ad libitum to the birds throughout the growth period. The performance was calculated at 42 d old and the
fatty acid profile were determined after withdrawal of FO from the diet (during one -wk) before slaughtering in 49-d old . Higher live
weight, weight gain and lower feed conversion ratio (FCR) were recorded for birds T3 (1%PF+2%FO). High FO concentrations (2 and
3% levels) decreased the saturated (SAT) and monounsaturated FA contents (MUFA) and increased the polyunsaturated FA contents
(PUFA) , mainly as linolenic acid and long chain n-3 FA ( C22:6n-3 , C22:5n-3 , C20:5n-3 ) in the breast samples. By replacing the FO
diet with the experimental mixture (T2 and T3) and with 3% FO diet (T4), the n-3 and n-6 FA contents increased. However, increase in
the amount n-3 FA in compared to n-6 FA contents was doubled in the tissue investigated. Therefore, the n-6: n-3 ratio was decrease to
be optimal ratio.
INTRODUCTION
The long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA) have long been recognized as an important factor in animal feeding.
In man and intensively reared animals it appears that diets have become unbalanced in terms of the make-up of fat particularly
polyunsaturated fatty acids .The content of omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids has declined and that of omega-6 (n-6)fatty acids increased. By
supplementing with fish lipids which are rich in LC n-3 PUFA, the balance can be restored (Bezard et al, 1994; Toncer et al, 1987;
Manilla et al, 1999 and Lopez Ferrer et al, 2001).
Fish oil, source of the n-3 fatty acids are supplied as alpha linolenic acid (C18:3 n-3, LNA), eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5 n-3, EPA)
and docosahex