Nutritional Manipulation in Broiler Production to Tailor Poultry Meat Composition to Satisfy the Health Conscious Consumers

As consumers become more aware of the health quality of the foods they consume they also will be more demanding of the nutritional contribution of the major food items in their diet. Animal products are a major component of all Canadian's diet except for vegetarian. Poultry meat is a major component in this food group. Recent nutritional research seems to indicate that there are significant health benefits for humans consuming adequate levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their diets. Traditionally the major food source of omega-3 fatty acids has been fatty fish, rich in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5 omega-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6 omega-3); other less important sources are vegetables and seed oils rich in alpha-linolenic acid (LNA, 18:3 omega-3). The use of dietary manipulation of the fat source to alter the fatty acid composition of the poultry meat to tailor current health recommendations for humans on omega-3 fatty acids is currently the focus of many studies.[...