Abstract
Commercial high-yielding corn hybrids have not been evaluated for their ability to pigment egg yolk. Therefore, the objective of this research was to investigate the effects of commercial hybrids with different carotenoid profiles as the only source of pigments in the diets of hens on yolk color and carotenoid content, as well as the carotenoid deposition efficiency into the yolk. Treatment diets, differing only in one of five corn hybrids, were offered in a completely randomized design in six cages per treatment, each with three hens. Treatment diets and yolks differed in carotenoid profile (contents of lutein, zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin and β-carotene, p < 0.001), with total carotenoid contents ranging from 17.13–13.45 µg/g in diet and 25.99–21.97 µg/g in yolk. The treatments differed (p < 0.001) in yolk color, which was determined by yolk color fan (10.8–9.83) and CIE Lab (redness; range 12.47–10.05). The highest yolk color intensity was achieved by a diet with the highest content of zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin and β-carotene. The deposition efficiency of lutein and zeaxanthin (25.52 and 26.05%, respectively) was higher than that of β-cryptoxanthin and β-carotene (8.30 and 5.65%, respectively), and the deposition efficiency of all carotenoids decreased with increasing dietary content. Commercial corn hybrids provided adequate yolk color and could be the only source of carotenoids in the diets of hens, which could reduce the cost of egg production and increase farmers’ income.
Highlights
Producing and providing an adequate amount of high-quality food for the rapidly growing world population requires enormous resources that negatively impact the environment [1]
The average contents of lutein and zeaxanthin in the experimental diets were similar (6.04 and 6.24 μg/g dry matter content (DM), respectively), the treatments had a wide range of both carotenoids in the experimental diets
Commercial high-yielding corn hybrids may differ in carotenoid content, but the present study showed that those with high carotenoid contents could be the only source of pigments for yolk pigmentation in hen diets
Summary
Producing and providing an adequate amount of high-quality food for the rapidly growing world population requires enormous resources that negatively impact the environment [1]. Among other environmental protection methods, the use of feeds that meet more than one animal requirement shows promising potential by reducing the impact of the production of additional ingredients (such as vitamins and pigments) and contributing to the reduction in the environmental footprint of animal feed production. In this regard, corn grain has the potential to meet poultry energy and resistant starch requirements, as well as contribute to the antioxidant capacity and pigmentation of egg yolk. Hens cannot synthesize carotenoids and must obtain them through diet
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