Effect of dietary source of very long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on their concentrations in the edible tissues of the chicken

The benefits to human health from consuming the very long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLC n-3 PUFA) 20:5 (EPA) and 22:6 (DHA) are well known. In the human diet, oil-rich fish is a key source of VLC n-3 PUFA but fish consumption is so low that VLC n-3 PUFA intake is well below the minimum recommended. Other vehicles for increasing dietary supply have been explored and chicken meat is a potentially important contributor to human intakes if it is enriched with VLC n-3 PUFA, as it is responsive to dietary manipulation and is widely consumed. Enrichment of chicken meat can be achieved by supplementing the diets of growing birds with fish oil. However, reliance upon fish oil for this purpose is potentially unsustainable and the meat that is produced is more susceptible to constraints associated with its oxidative stability and organoleptic properties. Alternative sources of these fatty acids include marine algae (the primary producers of VLC n-3 PUFA) and fish oil encapsulated in a gelatin capsule. Both of these alternatives may increase the VLC n-3 PUFA content of the meat and also enhance its oxidative stability compared with meat that has been enriched by the inclusion of fish oil in the broiler diet. The objective of this study was to compare different sources of VLC n-3 PUFA in the broiler diet in relation to their effects on EPA and DHA concentration of the white and dark meat of the chicken.