Abstract
The relationship between the levels of the lipid-soluble antioxidants, a-tocopherol and carotenoids, in the parental diet, the yolk and the neonatal tissues was investigated for four avian species of commercial importance. The chicken displayed a much greater efficiency in incorporating a-tocopherol from the parental diet into the yolk in comparison with the turkey, duck and goose. Thus, in spite of similar concentrations in the respective diets, the resultant con- centration of a-tocopherol in the yolk of the chicken egg was four to -ve times greater than observed for the other three species. A similar but less dramatic picture was observed for carotenoids: identical dietary provision of carotenoids in the maternal feeds resulted in the chicken eggs displaying between 1E4 and 1E9 times the concentration in the yolk than was observed for the other three species. These di†erences between the species regarding the levels of a-tocopherol and carotenoids in the yolk were closely reNected in the subsequent concentrations of these components in the livers of the hatchlings. Thus, the concentrations of a-tocopherol and carotenoids in the liver of the day-old chicken were respectively about three and two times greater than in the livers of the other three species. Although the water-soluble antioxidant, ascorbic acid, is synthesised by the embryo as opposed to provision via the maternal diet and the yolk, the concen- tration of this component in the brain of the day-old chicken was approximately 50% greater than in the brains of the other three species. Thus, it is possible that the antioxidant capacity of the developing turkey, duck and goose may be com- promised under conditions of commercial production. All four species displayed a rapid depletion of a-tocopherol and carotenoids from the livers during the -rst 9 days after hatching. 1998 SCI. (
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