Effect of different dietary supplemental fats and oils on the tissue fatty acid composition and growth of female broilers.

1. A study was undertaken to examine the effect of supplementation of diets with fats of different chain length and degree of unsaturation on the performance, carcase characteristics and tissue fatty acid composition of broilers. 2. Three hundred and sixty 19-day-old female broilers were fed on diets containing supplemental fat/oil (50 g/kg) in the form of beef tallow (BT) (diet T-T), soyabean oil (SBO) (diet S-S), rapeseed oil (RSO) (diet R-R), marine oil (MO) (diet M-M) or binary mixtures (0.5:0.5 w/w) of these lipids (diets T-S, T-R, T-M, S-R, S-M, and R-M) to 54 d of age. Food intake, live weight, plucked weight and the lipid concentration and fatty acid composition of abdominal fat pad, liver and breast muscle were measured. 3. Food intake, plucked weight and live weight were greatest for diet T-T and lowest for diet R-R. Food conversion ratio was poorest for birds fed on diets containing BT. Lipid concentration in abdominal fat pad was significantly higher in birds fed on diets containing SBO. Liver lipid concentration was significantly reduced by diets containing RSO. 4. Abdominal fat pad fatty acid profile was most readily altered by dietary fatty acids. There was a strong correlation between dietary fatty acid composition and tissue fatty acid composition for all fatty acids except C14:0, C20:0, C20: 2n-6 and C20: 4n-6. The tissue P/S ratio ranged from 0.40 for diet T-T to 1.40 for diet S-S. The n-6/n-3 ratio was significantly increased by the inclusion of SBO and decreased by the inclusion of MO. 5. Liver fatty acid profile was least modified by dietary fatty acids. There was an inverse relationship between liver and dietary C20:4n-6 concentration. Tissue C18:2n-6 and C20:4n-6 were highly correlated, suggesting significant interconversion by delta-6 desaturase in this tissue. The n-6/n-3 ratio was significantly increased by inclusion of SBO and significantly decreased by the inclusion of MO. 6. In breast muscle MO-based diets increased the proportion of n-3 PUFA at the expense of n-6 PUFA. The tissue concentrations of C18:1n-9, C18:2n-6, C20:1n-9, C20:5n-3, C22:5n-3 and C22:6n-3 were strongly correlated with dietary fatty acid composition. Muscle and diet P/S and n-6/n-3 ratios were highly correlated.