Fatty Acid Composition of Thigh Meat in Two Lines of Slow-Growing Chickens as Affected by the Access to Pasture

The study was carried out to examine the effect of the pasture access vs. conventional rearing on the fatty acid composition an of the thigh meat in two lines of slow growing chickens - La Belle (LB) and Bresse Gauloise (BB). Additionally differences between the lines were also examined. The influence of both factors on the lipid profile were assessed through two-way ANOVA. The effect of pasture was more pronounced than the line and was associated with lower contents of the saturated (SFA) (Plt%253B0.001), and significant increase (Plt%253B0.001) of the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Such changes in the fatty acids of the thigh meat in the chickens having access to pasture induced considerably lower atherogenic (AI) and thrombogenic (TI) indices. Furthermore, the n-6%252Fn-3 ratio was reduced (Plt%253B0.001), while the ratios between the poly- and saturated fatty acids (P%252FS), as well as the hypo- and hypercholesterolemic (h%252FH) (Plt%253B0.001) were increased in the pastured lines. Differences in the fatty acid composition of the thigh meat due to the line of the birds, were not observed, however the BB birds reared conventionally tended to have higher content of C18%253A2n-6 and C18%253A3n-3