Fatty Acid Composition of Chick Embryo and Egg Yolk at Various Stages of Incubation

Abstract

Adipose tissue fatty acid composition of the chick embryo is similar to egg fatty acids but does not resemble the composition of non-adipose or structural lipids (Feldman et al., 1962; and Baker, 1961). This suggests that the fatty acid composition of chick embryo may be at maximal variance with egg fat during the early stages of incubation when adipose tissue formation is minimal and that the variance may decrease during the latter stages of incubation when adipose tissue formation is maximal.To test this hypothesis, the fatty acid composition of chick embryos and yolk contents at various ages was determined and compared to that of a six-day-old chick brain. Eggs from White Leghorn hens fed a corn-soya diet were incubated. Random samples of four eggs each were withdrawn from the incubator for analysis after 0, 8, 12, 16, and 20 days of incubation. Each egg was analyzed separately. The yolk…