METABOLISM AND NUTRITION Dietary Marine Algae Promotes Efficient Deposition of n-3 Fatty Acids for the Production of Enriched Shell Eggs

ABSTRACT Two experiments were conducted to investigate the usefulness of a natural golden marine algae (MA) as a poultry ration supplement for the production of shell eggs rich in n-3 fatty acids (n-3 FA). This MA is unique due to a high concentration of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; C22:6n-3) and the absence of other n-3 FA normally present in marine oils such as menhaden oil (MO). In the first experiment, 60 24-wk-old Single Comb White Leghorn (SCWL) hens were divided among four dietary treatments, including a typical corn-soybean control (CON); 1.5 % MO, supply-ing 233 mg eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and 155 mg DHA per d; 2.4 % MA, supplying 200 mg DHA/d; and 4.8 % MA, supplying 400 mg DHA/d. A second experiment using 96 56-wk-old SCWL was conducted using the same diets. In both experiments, eggs were collected weekly for 4 wk for determination of egg production parameters and yolk FA content. Each week, yolk samples were extracted, saponified, methyl estered