THE EFFECT OF DIET CONTAINING HIGH ALPHA-LINOLENIC ACID ON OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS AND HEALTH STATUS OF THE HEART IN BROILERS
ABSTRACT: The objective of the
study was to examine the effects of diet containing high alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)
on omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFA) and the health
status of heart in broilers. Diets were based on a commercial starter diet,
with a low level of fat. The experimental diets contained two levels of ALA
(2.23 and 19.37%), with the total fat content was approximately 5%. Pure or blended
vegetable oils were included at a level of 2.8% in order to produce diets with
the desired levels of linoleic acid (LA) and ALA. The ratio of LA to ALA of the
diets was 9.75:1 for low ALA diet and 1.37:1 for high ALA diet. Each diet was
provided ad libitum for the duration of the 28-d growth period. A total of 32 one-day-old
chicks housed in four pens (n=8 birds/pen). At 28 days of age, six selected
birds from each pen were weighed individually and hearts were collected for
analysis. A ratio of right ventricle mass (RV) to total ventricle mass (TV) was
used to indicate the health status of the heart. Results showed that dietary
treatment increased the level of ALA in heart tissue from 0.1% (low ALA diet)
to 0.5% (P<0.01). Increasing levels of dietary ALA raised the level of n-3
LCPUFA and total n-3 in heart tissues by 4-5-fold. There was no significant
difference observed in the level of heart LA, arachidonic acid (AA) and total
n-6. The increased levels of dietary ALA did not cause changes in the ratio of
RV to total TV. In conclusion, it appears clear that based on our data,
increasing ALA content in the diet of chickens could potentially be beneficial
for the health of the birds; however, further work is necessary.
Keywords: Alpha-linolenic
acid, Chicken heart, Health status, Omega-3 fatty acids
Penulis: Lilik Retna
Kartikasari
Kode Jurnal: jppeternakandd170163
