Effect of Dietary Supplementation of Linseed Oil and Natural Antioxidants on Production Performance, Fatty Acid Profile and Meat Lipid Peroxidation in Broilers

Abstract

Background: Healthy omega-3 fatty acid (n-3FA) enriched poultry meat can be achieved through dietary supplementation of n-3 FA rich feed ingredients like fish meal, linseed, linseed oil, marine algae, etc to broiler birds. A study was conducted to investigate the effect of supplementing linseed oil (LO) in combination with natural antioxidants like curry leaf powder, ginger powder and turmeric powder to explore the additional benefits of these natural antioxidants in reducing meat lipid peroxidation. Methods: Day-old male broiler chicks (n=150) were randomly allotted to five dietary treatments, namely, 2% vegetable oil (C), 2% linseed oil (LO), 2% LO + 0.5% curry powder (LOC), 2% LO + 0.5% ginger powder (LOG) and 2% LO + 0.5% turmeric powder (LOT) for 42 days. Result: Results showed highest average daily gain (ADG) and best feed conversion efficiency (FCE) in LOG group compared to all other groups. The effect of different treatment was not evident on other production parameters. The omega-6: omega-3fatty acid ratio (n-6 FA: n-3 FA) was enhanced in all LO supplemented broilers. Supplementation of dietary natural antioxidants along with LO did not have any significant impact on meat lipid peroxidation which was analyzed by quantifying malondialdehyde production rate. It may be inferred that feeding LO to broiler chicks’ produces n-3 FA enriched chicken meat but the effect of natural antioxidants like curry leaf, ginger and turmeric powder on meat lipid peroxidation could not be established through the present study.