School of Animal Technology and Innovation, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000, Thailand.
J Anim Sci. 2023 Jan 3;101. doi: 10.1093/jas/skad267.
This study proposes a strategy to manipulate the fatty acid (FA) content in slow-growing Korat chicken (KRC) meat using tuna oil (TO). To determine the optimal level and feeding period of TO supplementation, we conducted a study investigating the effects of dietary TO levels and feeding periods on meat quality, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) composition, and gene expression related to FA metabolism in KRC breast meat. At 3 wk of age, 700 mixed-sex KRC were assigned to seven augmented factorial treatments with a completely randomized design, each consisting of four replicate pens containing 25 chickens per pen. The control group received a corn-soybean-based diet with 4.5% rice bran oil (RBO), while varying amounts of TO (1.5%, 3.0%, or 4.5%) replaced a portion of the RBO content in the experimental diets. The chickens were fed these diets for 3 and 6 wk, respectively, before being slaughtered at 9 wk. Our results indicated no significant interactions between TO levels and feeding periods on the growth performance or meat quality of KRC (P > 0.05). However, the liver fatty acid-binding protein gene (L-FABP, also known as FABP1), responsible for FA transport and accumulation, showed significantly higher expression in the chickens supplemented with 4.5% TO (P < 0.05). The chickens supplemented with 4.5% TO for a longer period (3 to 9 wk of age) exhibited the lowest levels of n-6 PUFA and n-6 to n-3 ratio, along with the highest levels of eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, and n-3 PUFA in the breast meat (P < 0.05). However, even a short period of supplementation with 4.5% TO (6 to 9 wk of age) was adequate to enrich slow-growing chicken meat with high levels of n-3 PUFA, as recommended previously. Our findings indicated that even a short period of tuna oil supplementation could lead to desirable levels of omega-3 enrichment in slow-growing chicken meat. This finding has practical implications for the poultry industry, providing insights into optimal supplementation strategies for achieving desired FA profiles without adversely affecting growth performance or meat quality.
本研究提出了一种利用金枪鱼油（TO）来调控慢速生长的Korat 鸡肉（KRC）中脂肪酸（FA）含量的策略。为了确定 TO 补充的最佳水平和喂养期，我们进行了一项研究，探讨了日粮中 TO 水平和喂养期对 KRC 胸肉的肉质、ω-3 多不饱和脂肪酸（n-3 PUFA）组成以及与 FA 代谢相关基因表达的影响。在 3 周龄时，700 只雌雄混合的 KRC 被分配到七个完全随机设计的增因子处理中，每个处理包含四个重复的鸡舍，每个鸡舍容纳 25 只鸡。对照组接受含有 4.5%米糠油（RBO）的玉米-大豆基础日粮，而实验组日粮则用 1.5%、3.0%或 4.5%的 TO 替代部分 RBO。鸡分别喂养这些日粮 3 周和 6 周，然后在 9 周龄时屠宰。我们的结果表明，TO 水平和喂养期对 KRC 的生长性能或肉质没有显著的互作影响（P>0.05）。然而，负责 FA 转运和积累的肝脂肪酸结合蛋白基因（L-FABP，也称为 FABP1）在补充 4.5% TO 的鸡中表达显著更高（P<0.05）。在较长的时间内（3 至 9 周龄）补充 4.5% TO 的鸡，其胸肉中的 n-6 PUFA 和 n-6 与 n-3 的比例最低，同时二十碳五烯酸、二十二碳六烯酸和 n-3 PUFA 的水平最高（P<0.05）。然而，即使是短时间（6 至 9 周龄）补充 4.5% TO 也足以使生长缓慢的鸡肉富含 n-3 PUFA，这与之前的建议一致。我们的研究结果表明，即使是短时间的金枪鱼油补充也可以使缓慢生长的鸡肉达到理想的ω-3 富集水平。这一发现对家禽行业具有实际意义，为实现所需的 FA 谱而不影响生长性能或肉质的最佳补充策略提供了见解。
