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Consumption of Dietary n-3 Fatty Acids Decreases Fat Deposition and Adipocyte Size, but Increases Oxidative Susceptibility in Broiler Chickens

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Lipids

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of an omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-enriched diet on animal fat depots and lipid oxidation in the blood and meat of broiler chickens. Abdominal fat pad (AFP), sartorius muscle and liver histology were used to assess the effect of the dietary fat on animal lipid depots. A total of 60 female broilers (14 days old) was randomly divided into two groups which received a diet containing 10 % of tallow (S diet), rich in saturated fatty acids or 10 % of a blend of fish oil and linseed oil (N3 diet), rich in n-3 PUFA from 14 to 50 days of life. Both absolute and relative weights of AFP in N3 animals were lower than in the S group (P < 0.05). These results paralleled with a lower adipocyte mean area (P < 0.001) obtained in N3-fed animals, leading to a higher number of fat cells per unit of surface measured (383.4 adipocytes/mm2 vs. 273.7 adipocytes/mm2). Similarly, fat content and the intramuscular fat-occupied area of muscle were lower in N3 (P < 0.0001) than in the S-fed birds. Neither macroscopic nor microscopic differences were observed in the liver. The inclusion of dietary n-3 PUFA increased meat and erythrocyte oxidation susceptibility; however, the erythrocytes from the S group were less resistant to osmotic changes. Results indicate that feeding an n-3 PUFA diet influences fat distribution and the oxidative status of broiler chickens.

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Abbreviations

AFP:

Abdominal fat pad

ALA:

Alpha-linolenic acid (18:3n-3)

DHA:

Docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3)

EPA:

Eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3)

FA:

Fatty acid(s)

IMF:

Intramuscular fat

MDA:

Malonaldehyde

MUFA:

Monounsaturated fatty acid(s)

n-3:

Omega-3

PUFA:

Polyunsaturated fatty acid(s)

SFA:

Saturated fatty acid(s)

TBARS:

Thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Spanish Government (CYCIT project: AGL2007-65898) and by a FPI research grant. This manuscript had been proofread by Mr. Chuck Simmons, a native English-speaking instructor of English of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB).

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All authors have no conflict of interest.

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  1. Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments, Servei de Nutrició i Benestar Animal (SNiBA), Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain

    Gemma González-Ortiz, Roser Sala, Elisa Cánovas, Nourhène Abed & Ana C. Barroeta

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  1. Gemma González-Ortiz
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  2. Roser Sala
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Correspondence to Gemma González-Ortiz.

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González-Ortiz, G., Sala, R., Cánovas, E. et al. Consumption of Dietary n-3 Fatty Acids Decreases Fat Deposition and Adipocyte Size, but Increases Oxidative Susceptibility in Broiler Chickens. Lipids 48, 705–717 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-013-3785-3

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